Canucks vs Chicago Nov 20

Tonights game is the first of a back to back. The Canucks will be facing off with a familiar opponent in the Blackhawks.  Chicago had a weak showing last night in Calgary and got killed 7-2. They seem to be lacking focus and leadership. Is it because they lost some key role players to their team or are their young stars having a prolonged Cup hangover? 

The Canucks are a team that seem to be easily trapped by teams who are playing bad, however tonight I expect that to be different. The players have been talking in interviews and they all seem pretty fired up to have a good game tonight. Look for the gritty players on the Canucks to play a strong role tonight doing what they do best. Players like Burrows, Kesler and Hansen will be in the faces of the Chicago players trying to get them off their game early with lots of chatting going on after the whistles. Look for Torres and Malholtra to have a physical presence and hopefully the fourth line with Perrault and Schaefer can bring a new element to the lineup tonight. 

In goal will be Luongo vs Turco. Seems to be a classic matchup for the last few years. Coming off a good performance last game vs the Hawks (.969 SV% .92 GAA) look for Luongo's new style to continue to work against the Blackhawks tonight. 

I expect a bounce back game from the Hawks tonight who always like to play the Canucks. It'll be a hard fought game with a ton of after the whistle activity. I'll predict a 3-2 Vancouver win.

Post game tomorrow.