Bruins' Brad Marchand suspended five games for 'predatory' hit on Sami Salo

By Ben Kuzma, The Province

SUNRISE, Fla. - Brad Marchand was sent a stern message Monday that the NHL will not

tolerate targeted hits that place players at the risk of serious injury.

League disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan suspended the Boston Bruins' repeat offender five

games for the low-bridge hit he delivered Saturday that sent Vancouver Canucks defenceman

Sami Salo head over heels. Shanahan cited an earlier sequence in which Marchand showed clear

frustration after a shoulder check between the Bruins winger and Sami Salo. His action 16

seconds later violated Rule 44 for clipping and concussed Salo, who struck his head on the TD

Garden ice surface.

"We do not view this play as defensive or instinctive," said Shanahan, who said the concussion

and repeat-offender status also played into the ruling that had a five-game limit because it was a

telephone hearing. "We feel this was a predatory low hit delivered by Marchand to flip his

opponent and Salo is not coming at Marchand at great speed or with a threatening posture.

"This scenario played out 16 seconds earlier. Marchand was able to deliver and absorb a clean

check on Salo, but Marchand shows clear frustration from the hit. Retribution is not a defence for

clipping a player."

There was no debate that the five-minute major and game misconduct was the least the NHL

could do. The suspension helps, but it was obvious that Marchand didn't appear to be bracing

himself for impact from Salo. He made that suspect case Sunday and as much as Mike Gillis

would have a sense of satisfaction with the suspension decision, the Canucks general manager

didn't want to get into another verbal volley with the Bruins.

"We've moved on," said Gillis. "It just seems to feed this reputation of whatever we say about

anything, so I would prefer not to comment.

"Dangerous hits are dangerous hits and the league is reacting to them in a certain way, whether

it's a head hit or a hit on a vulnerable player from behind. That's what everybody is concerned

about."

Added Daniel Sedin: "It was a league decision. I'm not too worried about that, but we want to get

Sami back. That hurts us more than Marchand being suspended. You can get serious knee

injuries from that kind of hit and the league made the decision and that's what we have to

follow."

Marchand defended his actions by saying that he was just trying to protect himself when the

puck went into the corner and he caught a glimpse of Salo bearing down on him. Then again,

he's a repeat offender with a two-game suspension for an elbow to the head of R.J Umberger and

a $2,500 US fine for a slew-foot on Matt Niskanen.

"I kind of went down and you look at a guy who's 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 (actually 6-foot-3) coming

in on your instincts are to protect yourself - you have no idea what his intentions are," said

Marchand. "I had no intention of hurting Salo. I saw the replay and I did go under him, but I felt

the base contact was at his hip point and that's usually a pretty legal hit. If it's an illegal hit I'll

take it out of my game."

The Canucks weren't as considerate. Alain Vigneault and Gillis were fuming at the hit and the

GM had labelled it "a dirty hit by a dirty player." Vigneault went a step further.

"Some day he's going to get it," said the Canucks coach. "Somebody is going to say enough is

enough and they're going to hurt the kid because he plays to hurt players and in my mind if the

league doesn't take care of it somebody else will. What we saw Marchand do with his definite

attempt to injure. Something needs to happen."

Bruins coach Claude Julien and general manager Peter Chiarelli responded sharply Monday

before the decision, claiming the Canucks were not only trying to influence the outcome of

Marchand's hearing, but are hypocrites because of the players they stock on their roster.

"You just have to look at [Alex] Burrows putting his blade in [Shawn] Thornton's throat," said

Julien. "It's hypocritical and we're stupid and we're idiots and they're the smartest team in the

league."

As expected, Chiarelli was going to have his say, too. Burrows is no angel and the whole episode

at the sideboards started when he stuck his stick into the skate of Daniel Paille before Thornton

responded with a slash and then Burrows the debated retaliation.

"He [Marchand] is no dirtier than maybe two or three of their players," said Chiarelli.

Bruins' Marchand suspended five NHL games for 'predatory,' dangerous hit on Canucks' Salo

By Cam Tucker, Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER - Boston Bruins agitator Brad Marchand may have ducked Sami Salo, but he

couldn't defend himself against the National Hockey League.

Marchand was suspended five games by the NHL on Monday as a result of his low-bridge hit on

Canucks defenceman Sami Salo late in the second period of Saturday's Stanley Cup final

rematch, which turned out to be an emotional 4-3 Vancouver win.

NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan denied Marchand's reasoning that he was defending

himself as Salo pinched in off the blue line, calling the hit "predatory" during his video

explaining the league's decision.

"Rather than deliver a shoulder-to-shoulder check, Marchand drops downs dangerously low into

Salo's knee area, propelling Salo up and over, causing an injury," Shanahan said during the

video, which was posted at the NHL.com.

Shanahan, citing Rule 44 - Clipping, said, "A player may not deliver a check in a 'clipping'

manner nor lower his own body position to deliver a check on or below an opponent's knees."

"While we understand that in certain circumstances, a player may duck or bail instinctively in

order to protect himself from an imminent, dangerous check, we do not view this play as

defensive or instinctive.

"Rather, we feel this was a predatory, low hit, delivered intentionally by Marchand in order to

flip his opponent over him."

Marchand was assessed a major penalty for clipping on the play and was ejected from the game.

The Canucks scored twice with the five-minute power play from Marchand's hit, including Cody

Hodgson's goal early in the third period, which turned out to be the game winner.

• You can watch Shanahan's video here:

Canucks general manager Mike Gillis declined to make any further comment on Marchand but

said he supports any ruling that makes the NHL safer.

"I think it was the kind of hit that puts players in danger and that's a concern for everyone," Gillis

said. "I'm concerned about any hit that is unduly dangerous, and Brendan Shanahan wants to deal

with them effectively."

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli made the following statement on the Bruins' website:

"While we respect the process that the Department of Player Safety took to reach their decision

regarding Brad's hit on Sami Salo, we are very disappointed by their ruling," Chiarelli said.

"While we understand that the Department of Safety is an evolving entity, it is frustrating that

there are clear comparable situations that have not been penalized or sanctioned in the past.

"It is equally disappointing that Brad sought the counsel of the Department this past fall for an

explanation and clarification regarding this type of scenario so as to adjust his game if necessary.

He was advised that such an incident was not sanctionable if he was protecting his own safety.

Given our feeling that Brad was indeed protecting himself and certainly did not clip the player as

he contacted the player nowhere near the knee or quadricep, today's ruling is not consistent with

what the Department of Player Safety communicated to Brad."

Salo left Saturday's game after Marchand's hit and was not scheduled to be in the lineup Monday

against the Florida Panthers after waking up Sunday with a headache. He was treated as part of

the NHL's concussion protocol.

The play drew the ire of Canucks coach Alain Vigneault and Gillis immediately after.

"Marchand - and this is just my feeling - but someday he's going to get it. Someday, someone's

going to say 'enough is enough' and they're going to hurt the kid because he plays to hurt players.

And if the league doesn't care, somebody else will," Vigneault told The Vancouver Sun.

Both Marchand and Bruins coach Claude Julien were adamant that Marchand, who scored to tie

the game at 1-1 in the first period, was defending himself from Salo.

"I did go under him," Marchand told ESPN Boston on Sunday.

"But I felt the base contact was about his hip point. That's usually a pretty legal hit from what

I've seen in the past."

Just seconds prior to Marchand clipping Salo, the two collided inside the Boston blue line in a

perfectly legal shoulder-to-shoulder hit.

Shanahan said the league reviewed the fact Salo was hurt on the later low-bridge hit, as well as

Marchand's history.

"It is important to note that we've taken into account that Salo suffered a concussion as a result of

the hit," said Shanahan.

"We've also taken into consideration that Marchand was suspended last March."

Marchand, which the league has deemed a repeat offender following this latest action and a two-

game suspension he received last March for his hit to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets

forward R.J. Umberger, will forfeit $152,439.02 for his clip on Salo.

Goc, Panthers edge Canucks

By Sports Network

SUNRISE - Scott Clemmensen made 25 saves and Marcel Goc netted the game winner in the

middle portion of the second period as Florida clipped Vancouver, 2-1.

Dmitry Kulikov notched the other goal for the Panthers, who snapped a two-game skid.

Dale Weise's first-period goal was the sole offense for the Canucks, who failed to capitalize on

the momentum from an emotional, scrappy 4-3 win in Boston on Saturday.

Roberto Luongo made 20 saves in defeat, Vancouver's third in five contests.

Florida tied the game at the five-minute mark of the second as Kulikov followed up a Goc shot

which kicked out to the left boards and beat Luongo to the near side from the circle.

The Panthers went up by a 2-1 count on a power play with 10:52 gone as Goc's second-chance

swat at a loose puck in the slot slid past a sprawled Luongo at the left post.

Florida came under fire in the third, as Vancouver claimed a 14-2 shot advantage -- which was a

reversal from the second period -- but Clemmensen did not falter.

Weise put the Canucks on the board at 3:11 of the first period on a tip-in from the right side,

finishing off a 2-on-1 break by flipping home a Manny Malhotra pass.

Game Notes

Vancouver had won three straight and four of the last five meetings coming in...Florida's victory

was its first over the Canucks since a 4-3 shootout decision on February 1, 2008...The Panthers'

last regulation victory against Vancouver occurred on October 20, 1999, a 5-2 result.

Canucks still rub Bruins wrong way

By CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI Agency

It is a measure of the disdain that exists around the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks that even in

a circumstance where they could be seen as the victim, they find a way to get ripped.

The Canucks are the most hated team in the league, their reputation for arrogance without having

won anything and the antics of players like Maxim Lapierre and Alex Burrows rubbing people

the wrong way, particularly in Chicago and Boston after meetings in the playoffs.

Saturday's eventful Stanley Cup final rematch between the Bruins and Canucks had goals, fights

and controversy, along with a low hit by Boston's Brad Marchand on Vancouver defenceman

Sami Salo which left the oft-injured blueliner with a concussion (Marchand was to have a

hearing with league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan Monday afternoon for the hit).

There was a flurry of accusations and threats which led Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli to

take an uncharacteristic step and visit the media room in Boston Monday to defend Marchand

and take some shots at the Canucks.

Chiarelli was upset with a comment by Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, who said Marchand "is

going to get it."

That was in response to Bruins coach Claude Julien, who said Marchand saw Salo coming at him

and went low to protect himself.

"That's a stupid comment," Vigneault told Vancouver reporters. "What Marchand did there, you

could end a player's career doing that and I've never seen Sami Salo take a run at any player in

the NHL. All I've seen Sami Salo do is play with integrity and play the right way.

"Marchand -- this is just my feeling on this -- someday he's going to get it. Somebody is going to

say enough is enough and they're going to hurt the kid, because he plays to hurt players and in

my mind if the league doesn't take care of it, somebody else will."

Said Chiarelli: "I think we've learned our lesson over time that that's a real inappropriate

comment. That's a real inappropriate comment and it's an unprofessional comment. There's a

carryover effect from the playoffs. (The rematch) is a big game, it's a hyped-up game, and there's

a lot of probably pent up emotion that goes behind that comment. Having said all that, they

shouldn't say stuff like that."

Probably not a bad guess that Chiarelli is referring to the talk before the infamous Todd Bertuzzi-

Steve Moore retribution incident, involving the Canucks.

"It's not normally my style to respond in the media to stuff like that, especially when there's a

hearing coming up," Chiarelli said. "I would like to respond in the spirit of protecting our player.

The comments made about our player, I don't like that. Brad does play on the edge, but he's no

dirtier than two or three of their players."

Julien had clearly heard enough from Vigneault.

"It's unfortunate, because sometimes you just have to look in your backyard," Juliens said. "You

just have to look at Burrows putting his blade in (Shawn) Thornton's throat, It's so hypocritical.

"I guess we're stupid, we're idiots and they're the smartest team in the league, so I guess we need

to listen to all the gab they have to say."

I like the fact Julien isn't making any apologies for the way his team plays.

"Somehow the Bruins happen to be the team that people prefer picking on and think we're the

bruisers and the example of the league," he said. "We have to live with that, but the one thing we

won't do is change our style of play. Our team is built that way. I think we play pretty

entertaining hockey. We're a fast team. We're a skilled team, but we're also a physical team.

We're Stanley Cup champions, so I don't see why we should change."

It's too bad the players and the league couldn't agree on a new realignment scenario. You know,

one that sees the Bruins and Canucks meet 20 times a year.

Uninspired Canucks fall to Panthers

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun

SUNRISE, Fla. - This was the teeter-totter after a bungee jump, a dip with goldfish after a swim

with sharks, Redd Foxx after Megan Fox.

It was the Florida Panthers after the Boston Bruins and, oddly, the Vancouver Canucks found

that kind of a letdown.

In the game after their most emotional win of the season, the Canucks looked uninspired for

most of their 2-1 loss to the Panthers.

But, hey, how about that win in Boston? Funny how Brad Marchand even looks like a rat and

Claude Julien a little bit like Mr. Potato Head. Well, we could talk Bruins-Canucks forever - and

probably will - but the National Hockey League moves on.

And Monday it moved on without the Canucks.

Vancouver awoke in time to play a spirited third period but couldn't undo the damage done in the

second when the Panthers scored twice and the Canucks may as well have spent the 20 minutes

on a couch.

At least they'd have been more comfortable watching the Panthers play.

Vancouver has a chance to gets its head back in the game tonight against the Tampa Bay

Lightning.

"It was a little surprising," Canuck captain Henrik Sedin said of the lack of emotion, although

nobody should have been surprised. "We know in here when it's not good enough, and tonight it

wasn't close to good enough. It's going to be back tomorrow. That's what we've done throughout

this year."

"We weren't very good," winger Alex Burrows said. "I don't know - our execution and intensity

level wasn't there and we have to be much better. We had a decent start, but our intensity level

wasn't where we normally like it. We just waited too long and it's hard to battle for 20 minutes in

the third and expect to come back, especially against a team that plays well defensively and has a

lot of layers defensively."

Even with just two wins in their previous eight games, the Panthers are better this season than

nearly anyone expected and pushing hard to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade. But

they don't get anyone's pulse racing.

When the Panther mascot came out before the game to airgun T-shirts into the crowd, he had a

hard time finding targets. It would be difficult to find a more different atmosphere than the

menacing and thrilling Garden stage the Canucks performed on during the Stanley Cup rematch

in Boston.

The letdown was as predictable as the mayhem that occurred against the Bruins, even if players

made empty promises ahead of time that neither would happen.

"Saturday was a physical, passionate game," defenceman Kevin Bieksa said. "This was a

different team. We just didn't generate enough offensively and get enough pucks on net."

The Canucks outshot the Panthers 26-22, but managed only a pair of shots in the second period

when the game was decided.

Vancouver's top players were especially inert. The top line of Burrows with Henrik and Daniel

Sedin managed only two shots. Chris Higgins and Mason Raymond had only one shot each.

"The first four or five minutes of the first period, they took it to us and we were able to make

them pay on their first mistake of the game," Canuck coach Alain Vigneault said, referring to a

2-on-0 goal that Manny Malhotra set up for Dale Weise at 3:11. "We sort of gutted the first

period out and I thought we were in real good shape. And then in the second period, we had that

power play and instead of getting momentum, we just gave them momentum. They sort of got

their wind and their execution and they carried the play the rest of the second period.

"We tried to make a push in the third but it was too late."

The Canucks were outshot 14-2 in the middle frame and outscored 2-0.

Goalie Roberto Luongo, fired up to play his old team after being deployed on the bench in

Boston, had never lost to the Panthers, his former team. But he looked poor on both goals.

After steering a harmless shot to the left-wing boards, Luongo was beaten by Dmitry Kulikov's

sharp-angle, short-side slapshot that tied it 1-1 five minutes into the second period.

Then, after that lousy Canuck power play that yielded the best chances to the Panthers, Florida

went ahead 2-1 at 10:52 with its own man-advantage when Luongo fell and couldn't get up and

several teammates stood around and watched as Marcel Goc scuffed a dribbler into the net.

The Canucks didn't often make it down to the Panthers' zone, which was a shame because

Florida goalie Scott Clemmensen seemed determined early on to turn round pucks square. But he

made 14 saves in the third period.

"I just don't think we executed the way we'd like to tonight," Weise said. "We're all professionals

in this room. This is what we do, this is our job. I think we just didn't have the execution. Our

intensity level is good every night but I thought we could have competed a little harder."

ICE CHIP - The only good news for Vigneault is that his All-Star break plans are intact for the

end of the month. The loss lowered his winning percentage just enough that he isn't required to

be in Ottawa.

Canucks Game Day: 'We return to regular programming' with Florida foray

Luongo gets the start, Duco joins the lineup as Canucks put Bruins brawl behind them

By Iain MacIntyre

SUNRISE, Fla. - We interrupt the roiling discussion about the Vancouver Canucks' win Saturday

in Boston with the somber news they've a game tonight against the Florida Panthers (4:30 p.m.

Pacific time, Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040). And we can't return to regular Canucks-Bruin

programming after the game because Vancouver plays Tuesday in Tampa.

The Canucks shouldn't face nearly the physical challenge they did against the bruising Bruins,

but the mental challenge is significant tonight: focusing on the moment to play a good Panthers'

team that is better than nearly anyone expected.

Even amid a 2-4-2 doldrum, Florida leads the weak Southeast Division and is trying to make the

National Hockey League playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons.

With an active defence led by Brian Campbell, an excellent new coach in Kevin Dineen and a

pile of new, pricey players amassed by general manager Dale Tallon, these are not the toothless

Panthers of the last decade.

But the Canucks have a couple of things going for them that should boost their energy: ex-

Panther Roberto Luongo returns to the net and minor-league call-up Mike Duco, the buzzsaw

forward who spent the last three seasons in the Florida organization, makes his Canucks debut.

Luongo, contentiously sat out in the Stanley Cup rematch despite going 10-2-2 since Dec. 1, is 4-

0-1 in his career against the Panthers with a personal-best .951 save percentage against Florida.

Duco, whose entire 12-game NHL resume was built in Florida, has a chance to nail down long-

term relief work after the potentially season-ending collarbone injury to Andrew Ebbett.

After recent auditions by minor-leaguers Victor Oreskovich and Mark Mancari, Duco is getting

his chance.

"I know the situation I'm in," the 24-year-old from Toronto said. "I thought at the beginning of

the year, I played pretty solid but it wasn't really what they wanted. Due to injuries, I'm getting a

second chance now. Not a lot of people can say they're getting a second chance in this situation. I

just really have to make the most of it and just work as hard as possible.

"I'm just really happy to be a part of this team and thankful they've given me an opportunity to

prove I can play."

Duco was acquired in July for the rights to Sergei Shirokov, who never got much of a chance in

two seasons with the Canucks and is now a point-per-game star with Red Army of the

Kontinental League.

Duco was among a handful of players brought into the organization to try to address the grit and

qualify of the Canucks' fourth line.

He is known primarily for causing mayhem, but Duco averaged 25 goals in his four seasons in

junior and must show he can do more than just annoy opponents if he is to have a NHL career.

Duco had two fights in the pre-season, one of them with Anaheim star Ryan Getzlaf, which

caused teammate J.F. Jacques to attack the Canuck and get suspended for eight games.

"I feel like in pre-season, I might have been trying to do a little too much and might have had a

negative impact in the way people looked at me," Duco said. "I'm not out there looking to fight,

but if it comes it comes.

"I have to contribute in some other ways - hopefully that's putting the puck in the net, blocking a

shot, setting someone up, something to change the momentum of the game. That's what I'm

looking to do out there."

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said Duco will play the left side with Manny Malhotra and Dale

Weise.

Scott Clemmensen starts in goal for Florida.

• PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Panthers: Mikael Samuelsson, dismissed by many when traded by the Canucks, he has six points

in eight games with Florida in a season ravaged by injuries.

Canucks: Okay, he's the coach, but if Alain Vigneault wins tonight he ruins another mid-season

holiday to attend the NHL All-Star Game.

• INJURIES:

Panthers: G Jose Theodore (knee), C Scottie Upshall (abdomen), LW Marco Sturm (concussion),

LW Sean Bergenheim (groin) and RW Jack Skille (shoulder).

Canucks: LW Aaron Volpatti (shoulder), C Andrew Ebbett (collarbone), D Sami Salo

(head/neck), D Aaron Rome (thumb), LW David Booth (knee).

Cowards in Boston - fact or fiction

January 9, 2012. 8:12 am • Section: Puckworld, STAFF

Just as in the final, my inbox is filled with correspondence from Bruin fans who believe the

Canucks are a disgrace to humankind, everyone in Vancouver is whiner and if the team had any

testicles Alex Burrows would fight Shawn Thornton because, well, that's what Thornton does

and every fighter in the NHL is entitled to fight whomever he chooses and if the one so chosen

refuses he's a p-- and so is his team, city, country.

This neolithic view of hockey is actually understandable if you watched Saturday's game on the

New England Sports Network or read some of the Boston newspaper accounts like the one that

called the Canucks "cowards."

Anyway, before the Canucks' game tonight interrupts the post-mortem of Vancouver's win in

Boston, one final tidbit.

A lot of people in Boston, including a reporter I like and trust, were appalled that Canuck Dale

Weise did not drop his gloves when Thornton did, prompting NESN-Tass to explain this is why

Vancouver is so universally despised in hockey. (The broadcaster also noted that Max Lapierre is

one of those players who "never mans-up" - right before he manned up against the NHL vice-

president's son and later referred to Weise as "Weese or Wise or whatever his name is").

Weise had just gone 15 rounds with Nathan Horton, whom Thornton just last week described as

one of the toughest Bruins.

Weise said he was being chirped by Boston defenceman Adam McQuaid as the teams lined up

for a faceoff, and the Canuck chirped back and figured he would fight McQuaid. Weise said

Thornton, lined up next to him, then tapped him and when the puck dropped, so did Thornton's

gloves. Weise wasn't going to fight Thornton. Neither was Burrows nor anyone else on the

Canucks. And by the way, can you believe Jannik Hansen wouldn't fight McQuaid, just like

Christian Ehrhoff wouldn't fight him in the final?

If you check the tape, Weise is clearly talking past Thornton and looking towards McQuaid, and

Thornton actually turns and waves a glove towards McQuaid like: "Stay back, this one's mine."

Of course, it only works that way in Slapshot.

Naturally, Thornton, for whom I have a lot of respect, probably has a different version of events.

Most people in Boston will.

Inspired Weise shows knack for offence

By Ben Kuzma, The Province

SUNRISE, Fla. - Dale Weise the weasel looked like an artist at the easel.

Berated by the Boston media for refusing to fight Shawn Thornton on Saturday, the Vancouver

Canucks winger showed a more important side Monday. In an uninspiring 2-1 loss to the Florida

Panthers, there was some inspiration in the fourth-liner's offensive game. Not only did Weise

score in the opening period, he nearly scored again in the frame on a breakaway to send the right

kind of message. Yes, Weise will fight but there's more to his game and that could do a long way

to keeping him employed at the NHL level.

"I'm not just a guy who goes out there and wants to fight every night," said Weise. "I think I can

bring more and score some goals. My role is to be physical and bring some energy and I thought

as a line we were pretty good and made some things happen tonight."

In an alignment with Manny Malhotra and Mike Duco, who was playing his first regular-season

game for the Canucks after being recalled to replace the injured Andrew Ebbett, there was some

surprising chemistry. When Malhotra stripped Erik Gudbranson of the puck and the Panthers'

blueline and sped away on a 2-on-1 break with Weise, he neatly sent a cross-ice pass that the big

winger easily converted past goalie Scott Clemmensen for his third goal of the season.

"It was a pretty good play by Manny," said Weise. "It's pretty easy to score those ones. He made

a good play and the goalie is probably anticipating a pass, but he just made a great play."

Weise then bolted by defenceman Dmitry Kulikov and nearly beat Clemmensen between the

pads.

"I was coming in with so much speed and I was just trying to get it off quickly, he recalled.

"When I got to the corner I could see it was behind him just before the line."

Weise finished with three shots and had a plus-1 rating in 6:49 of ice time. You could argue that

aside from a costly second-period holding penalty that led to the winning Marcel Goc goal, he

welcomed the challenge to show more offensively with Duco's presence. But he didn't see it that

way.

"Not at all," he stressed. "I'm happy for other guys to get opportunities and I know what it's like

to be a call-up and I look to make him feel welcome. We don't look at it as competition, anyone

who plays for our team is part of the family and we want everyone to be successful."

Duco had a shot and three hits but the closeness of the game limited him to 7:26 of ice time.

"I didn't mind that line," said coach Alain Vigneault. "They had some good shifts in the offensive

zone and tried hard. They did some good things 5-on-5 but as a whole, we were not nearly good

enough. Florida played a smart game and played hard."

The Boston media would have you believe Weise was playing games Saturday when he passed

on a Thornton invitation to fight after the Canucks winger had already scrapped with Nathan

Horton.

"You know what? Me and [Adam] McQuaid were having words and I was under the impression

that we might have went and I guess he [Thornton] thought I was challenging him," said Weise.

"But at the end of the day, that's not really the type of guy I want to fight."

Weise did take on Horton after a wild melee at the Canucks bench wound up with the

combatants going at it for well over a minute.

"You don't realize when you're in it - you just keep going," recalled Weise. "I got in the box and

we exchanged a couple of words and I realized how tired I was. And when I got out of there, I

still couldn't catch my breath and that's why a couple of other guys were challenging me. I was

like: 'Let me catch my breath.'

"It was one of the longest fights I've ever had in my life. We got in a pile and I got with him and

I didn't think. I'm not going to take advantage of one of their skilled guys, that's just not the type

of player I am. I asked him and he said 'yeah.'"

Unfocused Canucks fail to bring their Boston bravure against rejuvenated Panthers

Canucks downed 2-1 as Panthers gain first victory over Canucks in four years.

By Ben Kuzma, The Province

SUNRISE, Fla. - On the same night college football giants LSU and Alabama banged heads to

settle a national championship, you could understand the Vancouver Canucks searching for some

motivation Monday.

They had exchanged blows in a title-charged atmosphere Saturday, a terrific 4-3 triumph at

Boston that challenged their mental will and power-play skill. The fallout from that penalty-

filled, fight-spiced, gabbing-and-jabbing earthquake of a game - which resulted in a five-game

suspension to Brad Marchand for his low-bridge hit that concussed Sami Salo - could still be felt

Monday because there were several aftershocks.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli countered claims by Alain Vigneault and Mike Gillis that

it was a dirty hit by a dirty player and the Canucks coach even suggested that frontier justice may

prevail on Marchand if the league doesn't act properly. So, regaining focus was a tough task even

though the rebuilt and rejuvenated Florida Panthers are riding atop the Southeast Division.

In a sour 2-1 setback, the Canucks lost their focus and their game for 40 minutes. Their top-

ranked power play went 0-for-3 after striking four times against the Bruins and they had but two

shots in the second period. They also failed to punch their head coach's ticket to the All-Star

Game because the Western Conference club would have had the best winning percentage after

Monday's games with a victory.

"There were not a lot of scoring chances but we need to be better," said winger Daniel Sedin.

"We needed to find the emotion to win this game - it was there for us and we let it slip away. If

you're not ready, you're going to get in trouble. We needed to work harder to get those

rebounds."

The Canucks had their chances in the third period but were their own worst enemy. Daniel Sedin

shot wide after a generous rebound and Alex Burrows had the puck stripped on a 3-on-1 at the

top of the slot. Then Ryan Kesler couldn't convert a 2-on-1 feed from Cody Hodgson.

"You can't play one period and hope to get back in it," said Burrows. "Our shifts were too long

and our execution was not where it needs to be. They had a lot of layers defensively and they

collapsed five guys down low."

When the highlight is the improved play of Dale Weise, you've got a problem. The fourth-liner

not only tapped home a cross-ice feed from Manny Malhotra on a 2-on-1 break, the winger

nearly scored his second goal of the first period when he bolted by Dmitry Kulikov and nearly

beat Scott Clemmensen between the pads.

That's about as good as it got. Roberto Luongo wasn't good against his former club in allowing

questionable goals to Kulikov and Marcel Goc in the second period, the top line was in

hibernation with two shots and there was all the atmosphere of a bingo game. To their credit, the

Panthers continued to show that the 14 new faces they had in the lineup to start this season have

only continued to jell because there have been just four home-ice losses in regulation time.

Monday marked the first win over the Canucks since Feb. 1, 2008.

"We had to keep it simple tonight and we didn't do that," captain Henrik Sedin said of just 26

shots. "We tried the tougher passes and the tougher plays. But against a team like this that plays

tough defensively, it's lot of chipping in and getting a good forechecking going. We did neither

tonight."

For a club that hasn't advanced to the postseason in 10 seasons, the Panthers look like they might

be buyers rather than sellers at the Feb. 27 trade deadline. The team is better because it has better

players in Thomas Fleischmann, Kris Versteeg and Brian Campbell and the culture has changed.

The beach can wait. It's about winning again in South Florida.

That was clearly illustrated after Weise had opened scoring before the game was four minutes

old. Instead of going quietly into the night and making it four-straight regulation losses to the

Canucks, the Panthers chipped away. Luongo had made a good blocker save off Goc in the

second period, but when the puck deflected off his blocker to the sideboards, a slapper by

Kulikov went over the shoulder of the starter five minutes into the period.

Luongo then managed to stop Jason Garrison on a short-handed breakaway - another example of

just how out of sync the Canucks were on this night - but then didn't look good on the Goc effort

to make it 2-1. A cross-ice power play pass by Versteeg resulted in a crease scramble and

Luongo was laying on his back when the puck squirted by him on the short side with Ballard

standing on the goal-line.

"In the second, we had that power play and instead of getting momentum, we just gave them

momentum," said coach Alain Vigneault. "They got their wind and execution and carried the

play for the rest of the second period, We tried to make a push in the third but it was too late."

The four-game road trip continues Tuesday in Tampa.

OF NOTE - Mike Duco made his NHL debut for the Canucks while Alexander Sulzer took

Salo's spot.

It's hard to beat the beach and harder to beat the new-look Panthers

By Ben Kuzma, The Province

SUNRISE, Fla. - Chris Higgins wasn't here long enough to get a lasting tan last NHL season, but

knows the Florida Panthers risked getting burned with a major roster shake-up that produced 14

new players on opening night.

"It could have went either way with so many new faces, but they jelled and wanted to change

things and have more of a winning culture and I'm happy to see it," said Higgins who had 23

points in 48 games here before being moved to the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline.

"There are a lot of good guys on Florida and I wish them success."

Steven Weiss is one of those good guys, but the fourth-overall pick in the 2001 entry draft has

witnessed 10 straight seasons without a playoff berth. And if there was going to be real change to

get away from the flip-flops and shorts and head-to-the-beach mentality, it happened in the

offseason because the franchise had to change direction both on and off the ice.

"It was a really unique experience in my career and I really enjoyed it here," added Higgins, who

has had cold weather career stops in Calgary, New York and Montreal. "It was something I was

totally not used to. Coming from Long Island, the weather was unbelievable in the summer and

then it just continued when I went here to play and I was still able to go to the beach and live

near it.

"Definitely fun things away from the rink here."

The Southeast Division leaders got serious and got Weiss (11 goals, 22 assists) somebody to play

with in wingers Thomas Fleischmann (15-19) and Kris Versteeg (17-21), while Brian Campbell

(3-30) and Jason Garrison (11-7) are providing needed offence from the back end. Coach Kevin

Dineen is missing five players to injury, including goaltender Jose Theodore, and that means

Scott Clemmensen faces the Canucks tonight.

If anything, the Canucks could be ripe for a letdown after their impressive 4-3 win in Boston on

Saturday. But there are enough other former Panthers - including Roberto Luongo and Keith

Ballard - to add some incentive to the second stop on a four-game road trip. Luongo had

memorable 50-save games here while Ballard and former Panthers coach Peter DeBoer had their

share of heated arguments.

"There's only one guy there [Weiss] left who I played with and it's a completely new team," said

Ballard, who had 62 points in two seasons in Florida and also signed a six-year, $25.2 million

US contract with the Panthers before the 2008-09 season. "I liked Pete. He pushed me hard and

we never had any issues and he excepted a lot from me. They were just in the mode of trying to

unload contracts."

Meanwhile, the recalled Mike Duco plays his first regular-season game for the Canucks in place

of Andrew Ebbett, who had surgery Sunday for a broken collarbone suffered on a Dennis

Seidenberg hit Saturday. Sami Salo is also sidelined with a concussion from the low-bridge hit

from Brad Marchand that will result in a suspension for the Bruins winger today.

OF NOTE - Former Panther winger David Booth (knee) has medical clearance to play but has

yet to tell coach Alain Vigneault that he's good to go. He likely needs more practice time. Aaron

Rome (thumb) is also on the trip.

Marchand out - but Salo may be out longer

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun columnist

SUNRISE, Fla. – Brad Marchand got five games. And how many will Sami Salo get?

After Saturday's incendiary game in Boston led to inflammatory comments from both sides,

Canuck players and staff were suspiciously muted Monday after Bruin Brad Marchand was

suspended five games for clipping, flipping and concussing Vancouver defenceman Salo.

“I think I've said enough in that situation,” coach Alain Vigneault said.

His lack of outward emotion mirrored his team's, as the Canucks lost 2-1 to the Florida Panthers

about 3 1/2 hours after the National Hockey League handed Marchand a precedent-setting ban

for hitting Salo in the knees during the Bruins' 4-3 loss.

Salo is out indefinitely with a concussion, although he remained with the Canucks as they

travelled to Tampa for today's game against the Lightning.

“The key is to get Sami back,” Vancouver defenceman Dan Hamhuis said. “The league made a

ruling, but it's important for us to get Sami back.

“I think you want to take what happened out of the game. You don't see that one [clipping] too

often and it's getting nipped in the bud. It's proactive. It's a really dangerous play and they're

nipping it in the bud.”

Canuck players were instructed not to publicly discuss the suspension to Marchand, who

infuriated Vancouver players by low-bridging Salo. The 37-year-old landed hard on the back of

his neck and head when the Bruin ducked rather than meet Salo shoulder to shoulder.

Hamhuis said then Marchand showed a “lack of respect” for fellow professionals, while Canuck

defenceman Kevin Bieksa said: “I can't think of a cheaper hit you can do on the ice.”

And when Boston coach Claude Julien, a buddy of Vigneault's, suggested Salo was to blame for

taking a “run” at Marchand, who was merely defending himself, the Vancouver coach fired back

that it was a “stupid” comment.

“What Marchand did, you could end a player's career doing that,” Vigneault said. “Marchand –

and this is just my feeling – but someday he's going to get it. Someday, someone is going to say

'enough is enough' and they're going to hurt the kid because he plays to hurt players. And if the

league doesn't care, somebody else will.”

Apparently, the league does care – about what Marchand did and what the teams were saying

about each other.

In his thorough video ruling, NHL vice-president and justice minister Brendan Shanahan made it

clear Marchand's claim of self-defence was nonsense. He also said a prior suspension to

Marchand for elbowing and Salo's injury were factors in the length of the Bruin's ban.

“While we understand that in certain circumstances, a player may duck or bail instinctively in

order to protect himself from an imminent, dangerous check, we do not view this play as

defensive or instinctive,” Shanahan explained. “Rather, we feel this was a predatory, low hit,

delivered intentionally by Marchand in order to flip his opponent over him.”

Marchand made a similar hit on Canuck Daniel Sedin in last year's Stanley Cup final. But

Canuck defenceman Keith Ballard has also upended players with low hip checks and people in

Boston bray about Hamhuis' check in the final against Milan Lucic. Video of that hit, however,

clearly shows contact well above Lucic's knee.

Still, Hamhuis said Monday, the suspension of Marchand should make players more aware about

not contacting an opponent's knee.

“Those hip checks are a very different situation,” Hamhuis said. “When you're defending 1-on-1,

you're trying to stay hip-to-hip and it's very different [than what Marchand did].”

The Bruins, of course, are unhappy with the suspension. Julien was unhappy his player received

even a major penalty and stood on the bench to scream at officials.

But everyone in the NHL should be glad that Shanahan sent a strong, decisive message that

ducking into an unsuspecting player's knees to upend him is intolerable. His ruling may help

make the game safer.

“I think it was the kind of hit that puts players in danger and that's a concern for everyone,”

Canuck general manager Mike Gillis said. “I'm concerned about any hit that is unduly

dangerous, and Brendan Shanahan wants to deal with them effectively.”

“I think it speaks for itself: it's five games,” Canuck captain Henrik Sedin said last night. “The

league made a decision and we're fine with that. We hope that Sami's going to be back within

five games, but you never know with a concussion.”

Blue Jackets' lack of zip costs Arniel coaching job

Postmedia News

After weeks of lopsided losses and blown leads, the Columbus Blue Jackets fired second-year

coach Scott Arniel.

In announcing Arniel's dismissal and the elevation of assistant Todd Richards to interim head

coach, general manager Scott Howson said the season had "gone off the rails."

Under Arniel, the Blue Jackets were just 11-25-5 this season - the worst record in the NHL.

Richards was 77-71-16 as head coach of the Minnesota Wild from 2009-11. His first game

leading Columbus will be tonight in Chicago.

Howson announced the firing Monday, the morning after the club's latest dreadful loss: a 7-4

setback at Anaheim. The Ducks came into the game just one point ahead of the Blue Jackets'

league-low 27 points but dominated throughout.

"We were playing pretty good [after a bad start] until the middle of December and we were

going in the right direction, but it's gone off the rails since then," Howson said on the team's

web-site of the Blue Jackets' 2-8-1 mark since Dec. 15.

Devils FLYING: Once renowned for their trap system and low-scoring games under former

coach Jacques Lemaire, the New Jersey Devils have shifted to a more offensive style under

coach Peter DeBoer.

"They've got some top-end guys like [Zach] Parise, [Ilya] Kovalchuk, [Patrik] Elias and

obviously their goalie, Marty [Brodeur], if he plays," said Calgary Flames head coach Brent

Sutter, whose club faces the Devils tonight.

"They've got some quality players you have to be aware of when they're on the ice but their

system is a little different than what they played the last half of last year.

GOOD DAY FOR SPORTSNET: The Vancouver Canucks won the battle on the ice, and

Sportsnet won the battle for ratings.

Saturday's Stanley Cup rematch between Vancouver and the Boston Bruins scored Sportsnet's

highest-ever audience for a Canucks game, as an average of 746,900 viewers tuned in to watch

Vancouver escape Beantown with an emotionally charged 4-3 win, said a network press release

on Monday.

Audience levels peaked at 1.1 million viewers in the final moments of the highly anticipated

matinee, according to the release.

Saturday's numbers were a 20 per cent increase from the previous average high, which was

achieved in 2009 when the Canucks beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 in a shootout 4-3 shootout back on

Oct. 11. An average of 624,900 viewers tuned into that game. Saturday's average audience is also

66 per cent greater than the current season average of 449,000 viewers for Canucks games.

Benn nabs league award: Dallas Stars left-winger Jamie Benn has been named the NHL's first

star of the week.

Benn led the Dallas offence with four goals and three assists in three starts.

Playing in his third NHL season, Benn has recorded points in 10 of his past 11 games and leads

the Stars in scoring with 41 points in 40 games.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul had two goals and five assists and was named the

NHL's second star.

Ottawa Senators netminder Craig Anderson was named third star after posting a record of 3-0-1

with a 2.41 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Salo is not Marchand's first victim

Bruin had questionable hits on Daniel Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff last year

By Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun

Items that may grow up to be columns, Vol. XIV, Chapter 1:

RAT BITES MEN: Forgot-ten in the mists of time, but resurrected by the hockey blog Puck

Daddy, a segment of video from Game 4 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final reminds us that

Saturday's horrible concussion-causing submarine job on Vancouver defenceman Sami Salo was

not the first such crime perpetrated by Boston Bruins rat Brad Marchand.

It wasn't even his first against the Canucks.

He low-bridged Art Ross Trophy winner Daniel Sedin in that game in June, sending him arse-

over-helmet into the boards, on the same play that he clotheslined Christian Ehrhoff, getting

minor penal-ties for both fouls.

The difference is that the Canucks failed to score in Game 4 - on the power play, or otherwise -

and lost 4-0 despite the fact that Marchand, who had Boston's third goal, took four minor

penalties. Saturday, Vancouver tallied twice during Marchand's five-minute major, and won

what many are calling the NHL's game of the year to date.

CLAUDE/CLOD: The other difference is that in June, Marchand didn't accuse Sedin, who was

approaching at low speed, of running him. Nor did he plead self-defence, as he did Saturday -

seconded by Boston coach Claude Julien - an embarrassing whopper, given Salo's history of

honest, mild-mannered play.

Julien is a terrific coach and can be an entertaining quote, but sometimes, a guy needs to take a

step back and ask him-self: "Who am I really serving by defending a gutless act by one of my

players?" At least Julien didn't say: "He's not that kind of player." Because, of course, that's

pretty much exactly the kind of player Marchand is.

OH? CANADA: It's a curious thing, but a current listing of NHL villains will turn up several

members of Canada's world junior squads over the past 15 years or so, which may reveal an

unflattering pattern to the way Hockey Canada carefully constructs its rosters. Though some

confined their borderline sociopathic behaviour primarily to their junior days, these Team

Canada alumni/incendiary devices include Matt Cooke (1998), Raffi Torres (2001), Jordin

Tootoo (2003), Steve Downie (2006-07), Brad March-and (2007-08) - how's that for a start to the

all-cheap-shot-team? - and, more recently, Patrice Cormier (2009-10) and Zack Kassian (2011).

Cooke, mind you, has renounced his evil ways and joined the choirboys, and Cormier and

Kassian haven't really got their pro careers properly warmed up yet.

TO LIVE AND DIET IN L.A.: While admirably truthful, a quality rare among NHL players in

these days of vanilla clichés, L.A King forward Dustin Penner's admission that he injured his

back while eating pancakes is one he may regret. Unless he has a heck of a sense of humour, a

guy whose career has been dogged by fat/out-of-shape jokes was just inviting a raft of one-liners

at his expense by explaining that he threw his back out while reaching for a stack of his wife's

"delicious pancakes." Although his bride Jessica will be pleased at the thumbs-up on her

cooking.

There have been equally bizarre injuries, like Sammy Sosa throwing his back out sneezing, or - if

memory serves - former NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini tearing the nail out of his big toe on a

bed sheet (probably not while sleeping), or former Blue Jay Glenallen Hill falling through a glass

table after flailing around during a nightmare about spiders or (send your embarrassing sports-

injury entries to the email address below. Salo bit-ten by only poisonous snake in all of

Scandinavia? Got it. Brent Sopel missing first game of 2007 playoffs after injuring his back

bending over to pick up a cracker? Check.)

SHOT IN THE DARK: Sportsnet's Mark Spector, who once had an honest job as a Postmedia

newspaper columnist, points out that Penner gutted it out after injuring him-self: he finished the

stack.

At the other end of the pain-threshold scale, what miracle substance do you suppose the

Pittsburgh Steeler medics injected into the ankle of QB Ben Roethlisberger at half-time Sunday

to turn a border-line statue with a high ankle sprain into Fred Astaire, dancing around the pocket

as the Steelers came from 20-6 down to force overtime in Denver?

And why did he have to have a different-coloured shoe on his injured left foot? Nike makes size-

14 shoes in yellow, but not size-15s?

SCRIPTURE LESSON: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that

whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." That's John 3: 16, the most oft-

quoted Bible passage by, or on behalf of, religious athletes.

So it was kind of the perfect coda to the Tim Tebow-Denver Broncos stunning playoff victory

over the Steelers that CBS's final quarter-hour overnight rating, during which Tebow threw the

winning 80-yard pass-and-run touchdown to DeMaryius Thomas on the first play of over-time,

was 31.6. That also happened to be the average length of Tebow's completed passes. He hit only

10 passes all day, but for 316 yards.

THEY DARED HIM: It almost doesn't matter that Tebow had all kinds of receivers open and

threw wounded-duck passes wide - often 'way wide - of the target. His wins have nearly all

defied statistical analysis. He just does it.

Sunday, he did it against a defence crafted by one of the game's most enduring defensive

wizards, 74-year-old Dick LeBeau, who seems to have had a senior moment at a very bad time.

It was OK, as an opening gambit, for the Steelers' defence to start out challenging Tebow to beat

them with his arm, but after he kept doing it, an adjustment might have been in order. Say, in

overtime. Instead, the Steelers lined up nine men "in the box" and left the secondary exposed.

One play, and the game was over.

BRUINS' MARCHAND SUSPENDED FIVE GAMES FOR HIT ON SALO

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Boston Bruins say they are on board with Brendan Shanahan's efforts to police the NHL, but

they learned Monday night they won't always see eye to eye with the league's director of player

safety.

Shanahan's decision to suspend Bruins forward Brad Marchand five games for clipping

Vancouver's Sami Salo in a hotly contested Stanley Cup rematch over the weekend drew a swift

response from Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli. Less than an hour after it was announced,

Chiarelli issued a statement that made it clear he was "very disappointed."

"While we understand that the department of safety is an evolving entity, it is frustrating that

there are clear comparable situations that have not been penalized or sanctioned in the past," he

said. "It is equally disappointing that Brad sought the counsel of the department this past fall for

an explanation and clarification regarding this type of scenario so as to adjust his game if

necessary.

"He was advised that such an incident was not sanctionable if he was protecting his own safety."

Shanahan addressed that claim directly in his video explanation of the event, claiming Marchand

committed a "predatory" act by going low to flip the Canucks defenceman. Salo suffered a

concussion on the play.

The two players had bumped along the boards about 15 seconds before Marchand curled around,

skated past the puck and hammered Salo.

"While we understand that in certain circumstances a player may duck or bail instinctively in

order to protect himself from an imminent, dangerous check, we do not view this play as

defensive or instinctive," said Shanahan.

"Further, Salo is not coming at Marchand with great speed nor in a threatening posture," he

added. "He does nothing to indicate that Marchand is about to be hit illegally or with excessive

force. To be clear, we do not consider this to be a defensive act where there were no other

options available to Marchand."

Another important factor in the decision was the fact Marchand is considered a repeat offender.

He was suspended two games in March 2011 for an elbow on R.J. Umberger and fined

US$2,500 earlier this season for a slew foot.

The Bruins agitator was a thorn in Vancouver's side during the Stanley Cup final last season and

will forfeit $152,439.02 in salary. He is eligible to return on Jan. 19 when Boston visits the

Devils.

There is still plenty of bad blood between teams that won't meet again this season unless they

both advance to the championship series. Canucks coach Alain Vigneault and Bruins coach

Claude Julien have been exchanging words in the media since Saturday's game, a 4-3 victory by

Vancouver.

After Vigneault said Sunday that some day Marchand's "going to get it," Julien responded

Monday morning.

"The comments made about our player, I don't like that," said Julien. "Brad does play on the

edge, but he's no dirtier than maybe two or three of their players. I think in general after a game

like that you see all the high-handed propaganda and I just feel the need to respond."

GOC SCORES WINNER TO LIFT PANTHERS OVER CANUCKS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers were excited to break out of their slump with a victory

against an elite team.

Marcel Goc scored the winner midway throught he second period and the Panthers beat the

Vancouver Canucks 2-1 on Monday night.

After a scrum in front of the Vancouver net, Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo ended up on his

back during the flurry of shots and Goc was able to poke in the puck with 9:08 left in the period.

"It wasn't a pretty one. It wasn't anything fancy, but it worked," Goc said. "Right now it's a good

test for us. We're playing the top teams in the standings. We want to do well and stay with the

pack up top."

Goc also had an assist as the Panthers won for just the third time in nine games. Dmitry Kulikov

scored the Panthers' first goal and Scott Clemmensen finished with 25 saves.

Kris Versteeg got an assist Goc's score to break a season-high four-game pointless streak.

The victory over Northwest Division-leading Vancouver gives the refurbished Panthers, in first

place in the Southeast Division, the feeling that they are one of the best teams in the NHL.

"It's the mentality of this team," Clemmensen said. "It's the new guys coming in, everything that

has started from day one, that changeover from years past. We wanted to compete now. We

expect to compete. We expect to win."

Dale Weise scored for Vancouver and Roberto Luongo stopped 20 shots. The Canucks lost for

just the fourth time in 12 games.

Vancouver was outshot 14-2 in the second period.

"We got two shots in the second and that's not good enough," Canucks captain Henrik Sedin

said. "I think we came out really strong, but if you're off three or four per cent in a league like

this, against a team that's surprising a lot of guys this year, you need to play well."

Vancouver struggled to get back in the game in the third period but the Panthers and

Clemmensen were able to shut them out.

"That second period enabled their team to believe they had a chance to win, and when a team

starts believing they're in a game and they have a chance to win, sometimes good things happen,"

Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. "In the third period their goaltender made the saves he

needed to make and we couldn't score."

Weise gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead at 3:11 of the first period. Manny Malhotra brought the puck

down along the boards, then passed from the left circle to Weise, who put the puck into an open

net on Clemmensen's glove side.

"A pretty good play by Manny. It's pretty easy to score those," Weise said. "He made a good

play, froze them. Obviously, the goalie is anticipating a pass. He just made a great play."

The Panthers tied it at 5:00 of the second on Kulikov's goal. Goc took a shot from the right circle

that was turned aside by Luongo. The puck bounced out to the left circle and Kulikov took a slap

shot that beat Luongo on the short side.

NOTES: Panthers rookie G Jacob Markstrom is getting a second opinion on the knee that he

injured last Friday in a 5-2 loss to the Devils. The Panthers recalled Brian Foster from AHL San

Antonio to back up Clemmensen on Monday night. ... Canucks D Sami Salo did not play due to

concussion symptoms. Salo suffered a low hit from Boston forward Brad Marchand in last

Saturday's game. Marchand has been suspended for five games for clipping. ... The Canucks

recalled RW Mike Duco from Chicago of the AHL on Sunday. Duco, who played two games for

the Panthers last season, made his Canucks debut on Monday.

SCHNEIDER GETS THE CALL VS. LIGHTNING

SPORTSNET

The Tampa Bay Lightning are surely glad to be home after a woeful three-game trip to Canada.

Meanwhile, a visit to the Sunshine State has already cooled the Vancouver Canucks.

The reigning Western Conference champions try to avoid a Florida sweep Tuesday night against

Tampa Bay, while the Lightning will seek to bounce back at home against another opponent

from north of the border.

Watch the Canucks-Lightning game live on Sportsnet Pacific with coverage starting at 4:30

p.m. PT.

The Canucks (26-14-3) appear primed to make a second consecutive run to the Stanley Cup

final, with the most points in the West and a 17-5-2 record since Nov. 20. Vancouver even

gained a measure of revenge for its final loss with a 4-3 win Saturday in a rematch at Cup

champion Boston, but stumbled Monday night with a 2-1 loss at Florida.

Dale Weise scored the only goal for Vancouver, which couldn't take advantage of a 26-22 shots

advantage and went 0-for-3 on the power play after a 4-for-11 effort with the man advantage

against the Bruins

"I think we came out really strong, but if you're off three or four percent in a league like this,

against a team that's surprising a lot of guys this year, you need to play well," captain Henrik

Sedin said.

The Lightning (17-20-3) are also looking to turn the page after getting outscored 14-5 while

losing all three games of a trip to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Tampa Bay, which fell 3-1 to the Canadiens on Saturday, will now look to win its fifth

consecutive home game. The Lightning have played much better all season at Tampa Bay Times

Forum, where they are 11-5-0 compared with 6-15-3 on the road.

Steven Stamkos saw his five-game goal-scoring streak end in Saturday's loss, but the league

leader with 28 may have a good chance to get back on track Tuesday. Stamkos has four goals

and two assists in three career games against the Canucks, with two goals – including the

overtime winner -- and an assist in a 5-4 victory at Vancouver on Dec. 11, 2010.

That was the Lightning's second straight win in the series. Vancouver hasn't won in Tampa since

a 5-3 victory Nov. 29, 2002 -- Daniel Sedin scored the game-winner -- but has only visited twice

since then.

Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson has struggled mightily this season with a 6-9-1 record

and 3.76 goals-against average, but he will start Tuesday seeking to build on his strong track

record against Vancouver. Roloson, who has spent the majority of his career in the Western

Conference, has 16 wins and five shutouts versus the Canucks -- both his most against any

opponent.

Roloson has allowed three goals or more in each of his last eight appearances, though, and is

winless since a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Nov. 17. He yielded three goals on 23 shots in

Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Senators, but still has the confidence of coach Guy Boucher.

"I thought he did some good things in his last game in net," Boucher told the Lightning's official

website. "He's had some terrific practices and (Monday) morning was probably his best practice

of the year."

The van provies nightly awards

By Ben Kuzma, The Province

BEST JUSTICE

"I don't think I can comment on that and we were told not to. The key is to get Sami back. The

league made the ruling. They're being pro-active. It's a very dangerous play and they're nipping it

in the bud. You don't want to see that in the game and probably the first time something like that

has been ruled upon in a game and it's good. It makes a statement."

- Dan Hamhuis on the five-game suspension to Brad Marchand for a low-bridge hit that

concussed Sami Salo.

BEST APOLOGY

"I've said enough in that situation. I've said quite enough. We'll just move on."

- Alain Vigneault when asked to comment on the Marchand suspension. He had said a day

earlier that the Bruins winger "was going to get it" if the NHL didn't act properly.

BEST HOLIDAY

Alain Vigneault would have been the Western Conference All-Star Game coach had the Canucks

won and finished Monday's slate of games with the best percent-age of wins in the conference.

The game is in Ottawa on Jan. 29 and Vigneault maintains a home in nearby Gatineau, Que.

Imagine. He could have hosted an all-star barbecue. Maybe even invited Claude Julien.

BEST SPIN

"I was real excited and had a real positive mindset and felt good out there. I could have

contributed more, but for my first game I just tried to do what I could. I wanted to be more on the

defensive end and I didn't want to be scored on and just make smart plays and keep it simple."

- Mike Duco, who logged 7: 26, had one shot and was a plus-1 in his Canucks regular-season

debut.

BEST EMOTION

The agitated granny who gave it to a Green Men wannabe who was too animated behind the

penalty box for her liking. Welcome to South Florida.

SENATORS, CANUCKS IN ACTION ON THE ROAD; FLAMES HOST DEVILS

THE SPORTS NETWORK

(Sports Network) - The Ottawa Senators will try to keep their recent momentum going tonight

when they face the injury-plagued Pittsburgh Penguins at the Consol Energy Center.

Ottawa enters tonight having won five of its last six tilts and the club has compiled an 8-1-2

record over its last 11 games. The surge has helped lift the Senators into the fifth seed in the

East.

The Senators split a home-and-home series with Philadelphia this weekend. Ottawa dropped a 3-

2 overtime decision Saturday in Philly, but rallied for a thrilling 6-4 victory on Sunday.

Filip Kuba notched the game-winner with just over one minute left in regulation, as Ottawa used

a four-goal third period to down the Flyers at Scotiabank Place.

Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Neil, Erik Karlsson and Nick Foligno totaled a goal and assist each for

the Senators, while Craig Anderson stopped 33 shots for the victory.

Ottawa is 8-7-5 as the visiting team this year and is kicking off a three-game road trip tonight.

Already without superstar captain Sidney Crosby due to concussion-like symptoms, the Penguins

received a double dose of bad news on Sunday, as the club learned that forwards Jordan Staal

and James Neal will both miss significant time with injuries.

Staal will miss approximately 4-to-6 weeks with a knee injury suffered in Friday's game against

New York when he collided with Rangers forward Mike Rupp. Neal will be lost for "weeks"

with a broken foot sustained when he blocked a shot in Saturday's contest against the New Jersey

Devils.

The 23-year-old Staal has totaled 15 goals and 21 points in 34 games this season, while Neal

leads Pittsburgh with 21 goals and ranks second in points with 36 over 40 contests.

Pens forward Craig Adams also aggravated an undisclosed injury Sunday at practice and is not

expected to play tonight. Defenseman Paul Martin, meanwhile, is questionable for this evening's

test due to an illness.

Pittsburgh, which is currently holding onto the last playoff seed in the East, has suffered four

straight losses -- all in regulation -- on the heels of a four-game winning streak and the Pens have

scored a total of five goals during the skid. This marks the first time Pittsburgh has lost four

straight games in regulation since an 0-5 slide from Dec. 27, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010.

The Pens have lost each of their last three games by an identical 3-1 score and the latest setback

came Saturday against the visiting New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur stopped 41 shots to

frustrate Pittsburgh's depleted offense.

Evgeni Malkin scored the lone goal for the Penguins, while Marc-Andre Fleury gave up all three

goals on 27 shots.

"Unfortunately, we're fighting to score goals," said Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma. "We just

can't get that two-goal lead or doing the right things that will help us find that goal."

The Penguins, who are closing a three-game homestand tonight, are 11-6-2 as the host this

season.

Both meetings between the Pens and Sens this year have been high-scoring affairs, as Pittsburgh

notched a 6-3 home win on Nov. 25 and Ottawa recorded a 6-4 decision in Canada's capital on

Dec. 16. Pittsburgh has taken four of six overall in this series and the Sens have dropped three

straight and four of five in the Steel City.

Vancouver Canucks at Tampa Bay Lightning - 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt

(Sports Network) - Following an emotional victory over the weekend, the Canucks came out flat

in their trip to Florida last night. Vancouver will look to rebound this evening against a Tampa

Bay Lightning club that is glad to be returning home following a winless swing of its own.

The leaders in the Western Conference with 55 points, the Canucks bested the defending Stanley

Cup champion Boston Bruins on Saturday in a finals rematch, but were limited to just a single

goal in the second contest of a four-game swing last night. Dale Weise had the first-period tally,

but Vancouver allowed the Florida Panthers to grab control of the game in the second en route to

a 2-1 setback.

"We only had two shots in the second. That wasn't nearly good enough, but in the third we got

some good chances. That second period enabled their team to believe they had a chance to win,

and when a team starts believing that their in a game and they have a chance to win, sometimes

good things happen," Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault said.

Weise, who potted his third goal of the season, didn't think Saturday's hard- fought 4-3 win at

Boston factored into last night's setback.

"I don't think so," said Weise. "We've got enough veteran leadership in this room that we don't

have those letdowns. It's just one of those things where you don't execute and things don't go

your way. [Tuesday's] another day."

Roberto Luongo made 20 saves for a Vancouver club that had won five of seven and fell to 14-9-

1 on the road this season. The Canucks were without defenceman Sami Salo after he was clipped

by Brad Marchand on Saturday, a hit that earned the Boston forward a five-game suspension.

Tonight's meeting between the Canucks and Lightning features the league's leader in points in

Vancouver's Henrik Sedin as well as the top goal-scorer, the Lightning's Steven Stamkos.

Sedin is tops in the NHL with 38 assists and 49 points, but was held without a point last night for

only the third time in 13 games.

Stamkos, meanwhile, has tallied 28 goals so far on the season and had netted eight markers over

a five-game streak that came to an end in Saturday's 3-1 loss at Montreal.

The Lightning hit the road for three games following a perfect three-game homestand, but

dropped contests in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. They are 6-15-3 as the guest this season

compared to 11-5-0 at home.

Mathieu Garon made 25 saves and Vincent Lecavalier scored the lone goal in the first period for

the Lightning, who are on their longest skid since a five- game slide from Nov. 28-Dec. 6.

"There were two teams that were battling. It was pretty even," Lightning head coach Guy

Boucher said. "The Canadiens worked hard and they deserve it."

A participant in last season's Eastern Conference finals, Tampa Bay currently sits 13th out of 15

teams in the conference and is nine points back of a playoff spot.

The Canucks own 15 wins in their 23 all-time meetings with the Lightning, but Tampa Bay has

won two straight and three of the last four encounters. The Bolts claimed a 5-4 overtime win at

Vancouver in the lone meeting last year, getting a pair goals and an assist from Stamkos.

The Canucks have lost two straight in Tampa Bay.

New Jersey Devils at Calgary Flames - 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt

(Sports Network) - Martin Brodeur and Jarome Iginla figure to both be members of the Hall of

Fame following the end of their outstanding NHL careers. But for 2011-12, the goal for the two

veterans is simply getting back to the postseason.

Iginla's Calgary Flames hope to move up the Western Conference ladder with a seventh straight

home victory this evening against the Brodeur-led New Jersey Devils, owners of points in five of

their past six.

The Flames come into tonight's meeting five points back of a playoff spot in the West. They

have missed out on the playoffs in each of the past two seasons after making four straight trips.

The Devils, meanwhile, are sixth in the Eastern Conference as they look to return to the playoffs

after having a string of 13 straight appearances halted a season ago.

Calgary is hoping to use a four-game homestand to make a move in the West. The Flames

opened up the stand with a 3-1 victory over the Wild on Saturday, a win that featured the 500th

career goal from Iginla.

Iginla became the 42nd player in league history to reach the milestone when his pass attempt hit

off a Minnesota skater and into the net. The goal came on the same night that teammate

Lance Bouma netted his first career tally.

"That accomplishment is an individual accomplishment, but it's also about him having strong

teammates and playing for a first class organization -- a lot of things are involved in it," Flames

coach Brent Sutter said of Iginla's 500th goal. "To see a guy score his 500th goal and to see a guy

score his first goal, [this game's] got a neat story to it."

Curtis Glencross added his team-leading 17th goal of the season -- one more than Iginla -- and

Miikka Kiprusoff made 27 saves as Calgary snapped a five- game slide and improved to 11-5-2

as the host this year. That is against just an 8-14-3 mark on the road.

The Devils are 5-1-1 in their last seven on the road and kicked off a four-game swing on

Saturday with a 3-1 win at Pittsburgh. Brodeur continued his recent surge with 41 saves to secure

the 637th win of his career.

Adam Henrique scored New Jersey's league-leading ninth shorthanded goal and Dainius Zubrus

lit the lamp on his club's lone power-play chance. The Devils also stopped the Penguins on their

two man advantages and are killing off penalties at a 91.2-percent clip.

"When you play in a building like this you need everything to go right," said New Jersey head

coach Peter DeBoer. "Marty came up with the stops and our special teams were huge tonight."

Ilya Kovalchuk and Henrique each ended with a goal and an assist for the Devils, who have won

their past two and are 4-1-1 in the last six.

The Devils have won three of their past four versus the Flames, taking a 2-1 shootout win at

home in the lone meeting last year on Kovalchuk's game-winner in the tiebreaker.

New Jersey was bested 5-3 in its last trip to Calgary on March 5, 2010.