Canucks, Avs look to end losing streaks
The official game preview Colorado Avalanche vs. Vancouver Canucks.Season series: The Colorado Avalanche won two of three games against the Vancouver Canucks last season; Colorado forward Jarome Iginla scored three goals. Forward Henrik Sedin scored twice for the Canucks.
Avalanche team scope: This is the finale of a four-game homestand for Colorado, which entered the break as one of the NHL's hottest teams but has gone 0-2-1 since.
"We should be disappointed right now," coach Patrick Roy told the local media after a 4-2 loss on Saturday. "We cannot be happy about the way we've been playing the last three games."
Captain Gabriel Landeskog outlined some of the reasons for the Avalanche's recent struggles: "I feel like we are too slow in the 'D' zone, we are spending too much time in our own zone and once we do get the puck, we just don't make strong enough plays. We just don't support each other enough and we are playing on our own a little too much. You're not going to beat any team like that."
Colorado will play six of its next seven on the road.
"We are going to have to be really good (Tuesday and) go on the road with something to be proud of," forward Nathan MacKinnon said.
Canucks team scope: Jacob Markstrom, who is 4-0-1 in his past five starts, will be in goal. Changes at practice Monday saw the formation of a new second line featuring Bo Horvat centering Sven Baertschi and Jake Virtanen.
"It's important they've been together before," coach Willie Desjardins said in comments tweeted by the Canucks. "Hopefully they can give us energy."
Vancouver has lost its first two games out of the All-Star break and four straight overall, scoring one goal in each of the past three defeats.
"We haven't scored enough, but I like the way we've played," forward Daniel Sedin said. "Maybe changes to the lines is a good thing."
Daniel and Henrik remain on a line with Jannik Hansen; Brandon Sutter centers Derek Dorsett and Radim Vrbata on the third line; and the fourth line features Linden Vey with Alexandre Burrows and Emerson Etem.
-- by Brian Hunter for NHL.com --
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09/02/2016 - 17:00
