Canucks & Thrashers

> Business As Usual: Rumors this morning suggested Rome would sit in favor of Tanev (causing much happiness in the Cam Davie household) but that was quickly shot down at practice. So the line-up remains the same as it did in Detroit with Luongo manning the pipes again. Vancouver can aim for some history tonight: a win would tie the franchise best for most wins in a single season (49), break the mark for most points in a single season (105) and set a new mark for the most road wins in a single season (24).

> The Butt (and others): The easy story tonight is Luongo getting a friendly hello from the Dustin Byfuglien’s backside. Of course Luongo just got a fresh face of that same treatment (a different butt obviously) in his last game from Tomas Holmstrom. Perhaps a better story is how Byfuglien’s small Norris ride crashed into the guardrail: 41 points by January 1st and only 50 points by the end of March. Still nothing to be ignored, he’ll be a force even away from the scoreboard. Ditto BC-er Andrew Ladd who has 26 goals with Atlanta this year, nine more than with Chicago last season. Expect a motivated Thrashers crew who are trying to make up seven points to reach the 8th seed with only nine games left.

> Impress Your Friends With Knowledge!: At the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Vancouver took the Sedins at #2 & #3 respectively thanks to some vintage Brian Burke moves. Atlanta took Patrick Stefan with the first overall pick. Fast forward twleve years, the Sedins lead the league in scoring whereas Stefan hasn’t played since 2007 and now works as a player agent in Southern California. Bullet = dodged.