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take vancouver tonight
The Oilers killed Phoenix yesterday and Vancouver is way better than the oilers.
take Vancouver!!!
The Canucks (25-15-4) will try to register a point in their 15th consecutive home game as they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes at GM Place Friday night (7 p.m., PT).
Vancouver's stellar performance at home this season includes a 12-0-2 record during the last two months. The Canucks have won six straight in Vancouver and last lost there on Nov. 1.
The team also holds an impressive record against the Coyotes at GM Place, going 11-0-1 with one tie in its past 13 games against Wayne Gretzky's squad.
But playing on the road has been a different story for Vancouver recently. The Canucks have lost three straight away from home, highlighted by a 3-1 defeat on Tuesday to the San Jose Sharks, which swept all four games against the Canucks this season.
"I think every game against us, they've got out to an early lead," said Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo, who fell to 0-3-0 with a 3.37 goals-against average this season against the Sharks. "It's been hard to come back."
Luongo remains Vancouver's main man between the pipes, posting a remarkable 0.91 goals-against average during the team's winning streak at home while also earning six shutouts on the season.
Luongo was named starter for the Western Conference, but announced Wednesday that he'll skip the Jan. 27 NHL all-star game in Atlanta to be with his pregnant wife.
Luongo was in line to start for the West for the second year in a row. But his wife, Gina, has experienced minor complications with her pregnancy, and Luongo wished to spend time with her at their home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Forward Henrik Sedin, who leads Vancouver with 35 assists and 42 points, was also named to the team.
The Coyotes (22-19-1), meanwhile, had won five straight games before bowing 5-2 to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Despite the setback, Phoenix has been playing its best hockey of the season during the last month, boasting a 9-3-1 mark in the last 13 games.
The Coyote's recent hot streak has moved them to within four points of the St. Louis Blues for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Edmonton handed Phoenix its worst defeat since a 6-1 loss to Chicago on Nov. 30, scoring three goal in the first 9:46 of the game.
"It was a tough start for us," said defenceman Ed Jovanovski, announced Thursday as the team's lone All-Star representative. "It was one of those starts where we weren't ready to play."
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Originally Posted by avssakic
Luongo is going to play.
