Blues head to Vancouver to face surprisingly hot-starting Canucks
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Vancouver Canucks will attempt to defy their critics again Tuesday night.
Experts, ranging from USA Today to ESPN to EA Sports, have predicted that the Canucks will finish last in the 30-team NHL this season. But Vancouver is unbeaten (2-0-0) in the young campaign heading into Tuesday's home date with the St. Louis Blues, who are also undefeated (3-0-0).
"I'd like to say (the fast start to the season) probably doesn't make a difference, but I do think it makes a difference," said Canucks coach Willie Desjardins. "It's hard if you go out and lose."
Vancouver, which is attempting to get back to the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2015-16, pulled off back-to-back wins Saturday and Sunday over the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes. In both cases, center Brandon Sutter, who missed most of last season with jaw and leg injuries, scored the winning goals.
The Canucks received points from a range of players in the first two games -- not just stars Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who were relied upon for most of the team's offense in the past.
Contrary to last season, Vancouver also displayed an ability to overcome deficits. It beat Carolina by scoring four unanswered goals after the Hurricanes built a 3-0 lead. The Canucks negated a 1-0 deficit in a 2-1 win over Calgary.
By comparison, Vancouver won only three of 34 games in which they trailed after two periods in 2015-16.
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"To come from behind twice like that in our own rink is big, something that we didn't do very well last year," said Sutter, who also had an assist against Carolina. "It seemed like those close games at the start of the year last year, we ended up losing in overtime and shootouts."
But the chances of coming back against the Blues, a stingy defensive team, will be difficult at best, even though the visitors are battling early injuries. St. Louis allowed only six goals in its first three games -- two in each contest, to be precise -- while beating the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers.
Meanwhile, the Blues scored 11 goals in the same span. Center Paul Stastny leads the way offensively with two goals and four assists, while winger Vladimir Tarasenko furnished three goals and two assists, and fellow winger Alexander Steen chipped in a goal and three helpers.
"Stastny and Steen are doing everything for us right now," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. "They're killing all the penalties, they're on the power play, they're out against the top line, they're playing huge minutes. Both guys are carrying the day for us."
St. Louis will attempt to start a season 4-0 for only the second time in franchise history. It initially achieved the feat just three seasons ago, in 2013-14.
But even after starting the current campaign with three wins in four nights, the demanding Hitchcock wants to see better efforts from other players -- particularly forwards.
"We need more participants," said Hitchcock. "We need more people giving us better minutes up front. We just can't keep relying on the same two or three guys all the time."
Lineup changes are inevitable as Hitchcock deals with the team's injury situation. The Blues lost three players to upper-body injuries during the first two periods of Saturday night's win over the New York Rangers -- centers Kyle Brodziak and Jori Lehtera and defenseman Carl Gunnarasson.
Lehtera did not travel to Vancouver, while Brodziak and Gunnarsson are both listed as day-to-day. St. Louis elected not to call up any players from its AHL farm club in Chicago.
Meanwhile, winger Jaden Schwartz could make his regular-season debut for the Blues after suffering an elbow injury in the preseason. Schwartz, who signed a five-year, $26.75 million contract on July 15, is starting the season late for the second straight year. He missed the first 49 games in 2015-16 with a fractured left ankle.
The Canucks remained healthy through their first two games, although winger Anton Rodin has been sidelined with a sore knee since the preseason. The problem stems from a severed tendon that Rodin suffered last season while playing in Sweden. He underwent surgery to fix the problem but has been experiencing swelling and soreness.
Vancouver winger Jack Skille, who cracked the roster after a successful tryout in preseason, could make his debut for the Canucks. Skille is expected to replace forward Brendan Gaunce, who has not done anything overly exciting in the first two games.
Tuesday's game is the third of a four-game opening homestand for the Canucks, who are looking to make amends for a slow start last season -- and give their critics less material.
