Canucks continue homestand against the San Jose Sharks

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Pacific Division race is extremely close as teams begin to map out the stretch run to the playoffs. Vancouver, Calgary and San Jose each have 61 points to put the teams in a tie for second in the division behind Anaheim.

The Canucks will be in tough against their divisional foes tonight at Rogers Arena. Vancouver has beat San Jose in both meetings this season, but the Sharks have been heating up over the last month.

Vancouver will not have Chris Tanev in the lineup this evening. The defenseman is dealing with an upper-body injury, that is suspected to be a concussion from a heavy hit he recieved against Winnipeg. Coach Willie Desjardins says the other blueliners need to step up in his absence.

“It is a big challenge. He is a really good player. He has played really well for us all year. He has been really consistent, but I always believe it is not who is out of your lineup, but who is in. For the guys who are in, it is their chance. Yannick Weber is coming in and he is a really good player. He has proved he can play and there is no reason he won’t have a good game.”

Frank Corrado also will not play because he is still dealing with an illness.

The Sharks could be tired coming off a 3-1 loss to Calgary last night, but Desjardins says San Jose always presents a challenge.

“They are a really good team. The first game they outplayed us badly in their rink. The second game was a better game for us. They have a lot of veteran guys, they are a good team that can generate a lot of speed and they can be hungry. We have to make sure we are at the top of our game.”

Zack Kassian is expected to be a healthy scratch for the third straight game. Ryan Miller is expected to get the start in net.

The puck drops at 7 p.m.. You can watch it on Sportsnet Pacific. Listen for game updates every 10 minutes on the fives.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today