This one should be solid.
With the Canucks three points back of the Flames for the Northwest division lead and the Blues two points back of the Oilers for the eighth and final seed in the playoffs, both teams are going to come out hungry in this one. Both teams have really heated up down the stretch with the Canucks going 7-2-1 in their last ten games and St. Louis going 6-3-1.
The success of the Canucks can mainly be attributed to the incredible play of Roberto Luongo, who comes into this game with a 2.39 GAA and a .918 save percentage. His return has solidified the Canucks as a solid team in the west that some believe could be a cup contender. Also not to be looked over is the play of Alex Burrows this season, if this guy doesnt become team captain at some point in his career the Canucks are crazy, 24 goals, 19 assists and currently sits at a plus 16, look for him to be hot tonight.
St. Louis comes into this game in a position I didnt really expect them to be in around late march, fighting for a playoff berth. But Chris Mason has been HOT, posting similar numbers to Luongo with a 2.43 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Mason is having a career season and would hate to see it go to waste by missing the playoffs. The real turnaround for the Blues this season came when Mason stepped between the pipes to relieve Manny Legace of his starter job, a move that has paid dividends for the Blues. Not to be forgotten in the positives this season for St. Louis is the play of rookie T.J Oshie. Oshie is behing only Patrik Berglund in plus minus with a plus 13 with 11 goals and 21 assists. This guy has a promising career ahead of him.
So look for a solid outing tonight between two teams fighting for playoff positioning in a real dogfight of a western conference. Vancouver won the last game 3-0, but I would imagine the Blues reeeeeaaaally want these two points.
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