Obama-lama, baby

Yes, they can -- the Canucks offer fans hope by shelling the

Senators By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER 5 OTTAWA 2

THE UFA LINE -- UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS -- STEALS THE SHOW

VANCOUVER'S NEXT GAME: At Toronto, Saturday, 4 P.M., CBC/TEAM

- - -

On the day U.S. President Barack Obama made his first visit to Canada's capital, the Vancouver Canucks delivered

their own message of hope: a 5-2 win Thursday against the Ottawa Senators.

After ending their epic eight-game National Hockey League losing streak, the Canucks have rebounded

magnificently to win seven of eight games. And the wild ride could get even better as the Canucks move to the

centre of the universe for Mats Sundin's homecoming game Saturday in Toronto, then finish their cross-Canada tour

Tuesday in Montreal against the most storied franchise in hockey.

They are gathering speed as they steam across the country, ever more powerful and confident.

The fragile, nervy, feeble Canuck team from January is gone, replaced by something strong and formidable. Surely,

this can't be the same group. One of the two must be the real Canucks, the other an imposter. We won't know which

is which until April.

But the way they played Thursday, the Canucks were close to unbeatable. Certainly the first line was unstoppable, as

Daniel Sedin, brother Henrik and Alex Burrows combined for nine points and built Vancouver a 4-0 lead.

Goaltender Roberto Luongo, whose turnaround was slower than his team's, was excellent again. And so, too, were

the Canucks' special teams. And the defence was much sharper with the puck and stouter without it than in

Tuesday's 4-3 win against the Calgary Flames.

Sure, the Mats Sundin-Pavol Demitra combination is sliding backwards -- Demitra's accidental empty-net goal was

the first by either player in four games -- but there isn't much to dislike about the Canucks now.

"It's tough to describe the difference," veteran defenceman Sami Salo said of this team compared to that team. "If

you look at some of the plays guys made tonight, that's all about confidence in each other. It's fun to be part of this

and see how some of the guys have evolved, like Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows."

With Burrows' parents and sisters watching -- the family drove here from Montreal -- the fourth-year Canuck had

one of his best games as a pro.

He snapped in the first goal from a turnover by Senator Filip Kuba, and drew an assist on Henrik Sedin's goal, set up

beautifully by Daniel's diagonal pass. Burrows made the play of the game in the second period, skating past

defenceman Anton Volchenkov and luring Ottawa goalie Brian Elliott wide before dishing to Daniel for an open-

netter.

Henrik, who had a four-point night, assisted on Kevin Bieksa's first-period power play goal. The Canucks were up

4-0 after 28 minutes, and the UFA Line's dominance -- the Sedins and Burrows are eligible to become unrestricted

free agents this summer -- came head-to-head against Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, the Senators' $8 million men.

"I thought the Sedin line, their first period tonight, was as good as I've ever seen anything," Sundin said. "They were

outstanding with Burrows there. They obviously set the tone for the whole game. That lead carried through. It's up to

our line and the rest of the lines to help them out."

"We've got a good feeling," Henrik said. "Two years ago, when we were on this trip, we won all three games in

Canada. We've got the same feeling now. We're playing good and we know we can win every game."

Daniel Sedin said the Canucks are stronger for suffering through the franchise's worst losing streak in a decade.

"It was dreadful," he said. "It was really tough, especially being at home. It's tough walking outside with fans and

everything. But you have to go through that. Now we know what it's like; we don't want to go back there."

The Canucks have scored at least four goals in all seven wins in February. And, remarkably, their top two lines

haven't yet been great on the same night. Sundin, Demitra and Ryan Kesler combined for nine goals and 22 points in

the first three wins, and the Sedins and Burrows have five and 12 in the last three.

"When you have guys pushing around you, it makes it better for sure," Daniel said. "You're competing for power-

play time. It's good competition, fun watching them."

But we're still waiting for the two lines to excel simultaneously.

"We're looking forward to that," Canuck coach Alain Vigneault said. "Again tonight, Mats's line five-on-five, they

created one or two chances. They can do better. As we move forward here, they should be better."

Senators Heatley and Mike Fisher, after Canuck defenceman Mattias Ohlund was knocked into Luongo, scored

goals 3:41 apart late in the second period to give the game an illusion of closeness.

But the Canucks never seemed likely to disintegrate. Luongo blocked Heatley's deke attempt on a breakaway six

minutes into the third, but that was the only excellent scoring chance the Canucks surrendered as they managed their

lead.

"We could have panicked in the third, but we were always on the defensive side, playing them hard," Burrows said.

"It feels for sure like we're a different team than we were. There's a different mood. We're playing looser, smarter.

We know we can basically overcome anything."

Sticking it to Wellwood

Coach Vigneault won't let up on struggling skilled player

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun

Barack Obama met Stephen Harper here Thursday. Maybe you heard. Kyle Wellwood's meeting with Alain

Vigneault received far less attention.

Wellwood, the Vancouver Canucks' struggling forward blasted by Vigneault on Tuesday, met quietly on the ice with

his coach at the end of the National Hockey League team's morning skate. Wellwood received neither an apology

nor pep talk, but at least was still in the Canuck lineup Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.

"He's a player you always have to push and challenge," Vigneault later told reporters. "It's my job to do. I'm not here

to be liked; I'm here to get the best out of him. That's what I'm trying to do.

"In the last 10-15 games, every game he's getting one, two, three grade-A scoring chances that, as a team, we need

him to finish. I would hope on an open net, you're going to put it in."

Wellwood, who had gone 13 games without scoring, was robbed brilliantly Tuesday by Flames' goalie Miikka

Kiprusoff, who reached back with his paddle to swat the Canuck's rebound attempt out of mid-air during the third-

period in Calgary.

After the Canuck win, Vigneault said Wellwood "got what he deserves. I mean, he is not bearing down and had an

open net. He's shooting the puck two miles an hour."

Wellwood said Thursday he had been unaware of Vigneault's stark assessment.

"I'm just trying to feel comfortable with the puck and shooting it, and right now I'm just more trying to battle the

puck in than make a clean shot," Wellwood said. "I just haven't felt comfortable picking the top of the net."

Wellwood said he is uncomfortable with his stick after recently changing specifications, going from a "passing"

blade to a "shooting" one.

"I changed to a thicker blade because I thought maybe that was going to make my shot harder," Wellwood said. "But

it's just made picking corners harder. So I'm waiting to get a new batch of my old blades."

TWIN DEMANDS: Agent J.P. Barry said he didn't "understand the math" of a newspaper story Thursday that said

clients Daniel and Henrik Sedin want $6.5 million a season apiece to re-sign with the Canucks, who are offering

only $5.5 million on shorter deals.

"In any negotiations, there's going to be a gap, and we have a gap," Barry told 1040 radio. "We're apart on both

dollars and term. We have a lot of issues we have to bridge."

Canuck general manager Mike Gillis refused comment.

MATS-MANIA: The Canucks have brought their security consultant on a road trip that features Mats Sundin's

return Saturday to Toronto, where he spent the last 13 seasons with the Maple Leafs. The last time the Canucks

travelled with a security detail was Todd Bertuzzi's first game in Denver after his 2004 attack on Steve Moore.

Sundin received a smattering of boos from Ottawa fans on Thursday, and will probably get many more in Toronto.

"He's a Leaf for life," Senator Dany Heatley said.

HERE CAME THE PREZ: Among the many people in Ottawa interested in Obama's visit was Senators' winger

Ryan Shannon, the ex-Canuck who is from the affluent, conservative town of Darien, Conn.

"I was Republican and [former president George W.] Bush kind of swayed me the other way," Shannon said. "I

liked Obama from the first time I saw him speak publicly."

Asked how voting Democrat went over in his stodgy hometown, Shannon said it's been fine because he hasn't been

home since the election.

GOT FINGERS?: Another ex-Canuck, Jarkko Ruutu, who was suspended two games in January for biting the

thumb of Buffalo Sabre Andrew Peters, was offered a finger to chomp by playful Vancouver play-by-play man John

Shorthouse.

"Spicy or mild?" Ruutu asked. "I want spicy. The last one was mild."

STILL WAITING: Senators' goalie Alex Auld watched Brian Elliott start against the Canucks, who sent Auld to

Florida as part of the Roberto Luongo trade 2 1/2 years ago. That was three teams ago for Auld.

"This is the third time now, and I still haven't played them," Auld said of facing the Canucks. "I guess I've got so

many former teams it would be hard to play them all."

LONG, WINDING ROAD: New Senators' coach Cory Clouston, who was 5-1-2 since replacing Craig Hartsburg,

began his long climb towards the NHL 14 years ago as a B.C. Junior Hockey League assistant in Powell River.

"It was a long time ago," Clouston, 39, said. "It was a very good learning experience, and that opened the door to

becoming a head coach in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. It was my goal as a coach to eventually end up here,

however long that took. Each step kind of led to the next one."

Clouston, 39, who never played pro hockey, coached Grande Prairie, the Kootenay Ice and the Senators' farm team

in Binghampton before getting his NHL chance two weeks ago.

Money-hungry twins put on a show

If it were all about this single game, Sedins well worth huge

raise

By Jason Botchford, The Province

A Canucks fan in the crowd kept waving a sign Thursday which read: "Wonder twins' power, activate."

She should have been warned — be careful what you wish for, it could cost you. The twins activated The Money

Line — Alex Burrows, and the Sedins, all pending unrestricted free agents — and they played like cash cows. Ka-

ching!

Amid news the twins have asked for a new deal worth $6.5 million US a season, the Sedins looked worth every

penny Thursday.

They played with speed and purpose. They dominated the puck. They danced through traffic, gliding around

defenders like they were pylons. They made pretty passes. They scored efficiently, lethally and often.

The twins set the tone, and the pace, making Thursday's 5-2 Canucks win look as effortless as a Mats Sundin scrum.

"It obviously was one of their best periods and one of their best games this year," Alain Vigneault said after his team

won for the seventh time in eight games. "I like it when they perform like they did [Thursday]."

The Canucks are rolling, winning with different players stepping up almost every night.

Thursday was The Money Line's turn. The Sedins and Burrows had a hand in four straight goals on which they

combined for nine points. They created them all without the Sedins' long-time crutch, the cycle.

That's increasingly becoming the norm.

"It's good to show different things instead of always trying to force things from the corners," Henrik said.

The Sedin twins, at age 28, have found their way out of the corners. They have become players who make plays off

the rush and do it regularly. They have developed into players who are increasingly fun to watch. And that's what

fans should be doing for the next couple of months. Sitting back, and enjoying the twins in their prime. It's not going

to happen that way. Not now.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the season will be a referendum on the Sedins' worth. Today? They are worth it.

Tomorrow? Things change. Perceptions of knee-jerk fans and media always change as players go through the

normal ebb and flow of a season.

What won't change, from here on, is the twins will wear the $6.5-million number like a Scarlet Letter. Whether it's

fair or not, and it's not, people tie their expectations to dollar figures.

It's just the way sports work.

"It's unfortunate because we're playing well right now — us and the whole team — and that's what everyone should

be talking about instead of these negotiations," Henrik said.

"It's going to work itself out. It's nothing we're worried about. We are staying out of it. At the beginning of the

season, we talked to (agent J.P. Barry and GM Mike Gillis) and we said we're going to play our game and see what

you come up with. It's up to them. This whole thing is unfortunate, but I guess it's part of the business."

Most will choose to ignore the fact the Sedins have been immensely underpaid for a long time now. People forget

the $3.575 million they are currently paid. Instead, people will remember $6.5 million. It's part of the reason all

parties involved were furious Thursday when the numbers were published, and published without context. Because

it doesn't matter what the Sedins ask for, that's posturing and what negotiations are for. It's what they get which

everyone should be focused on.

What the Canucks are getting right now is a bargain.

But that's now. February has never been a problem for the twins. It's March, April and May where they still have to

prove their worth.

Roberto Luongo made a series of clutch saves in the third to keep the score 4-2. The best came on a Dany Heatley

breakaway. Luongo dragged his left pad and poked the puck off Heatley's stick as the highly skilled forward went

around him. When Heatley looked down to shoot the puck into an open net, he didn't have it.

"Any team who is going to win on a consistent basis in this league is going to get different things," Vigneault said.

"They're going to get great goaltending, they're going to get their specialty units to play real well and they're going

to get contributions from all their forwards and all their defence.

"Everybody right now seems to be finding ways to chip in."

Burr, Kes better off separate

Burrows and Kesler ramp up point production

By Jason Botchford, The Province

We finally know the truth about Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler, who played together for most of two years before

being separated to start the month.

All this time, they were holding each other back.

Burrows followed Kesler's two-goal performance Tuesday at Calgary with three points of his own Thursday at

Ottawa. The pair have combined for 21 points in nine games since Alain Vigneault unattached the players who once

played on the same line like they were glued at the hip.

It's a move Vigneault made out of desperation. Nothing was working in January for the sagging Canucks, so he split

up what had been his second-best pairing. The early results have been remarkable.

"I think Burrows has really complimented the [Sedin] twins well," head coach Alain Vigneault said. "I've said this a

few times, he has more skill than people give him credit for. He goes to the tough areas."

On separate lines, Kesler and Burrows are a big reason the Canucks have won seven of eight games and why no one

is talking about Mats Sundin's game. Sundin has been slow and ineffective more often than not during the past four

games, but who cares? What a difference three weeks makes.

If Kesler has been carrying Sundin, Burrows has reinvigorated the twins, who have utilized his speed to become

more dangerous on the fly.

"There are a lot of people who say we need someone big to play in front of the net," Henrik said. "But that's not

necessarily the case. He's a smart player who can make plays and I really enjoy playing with him. He's been a big

part of our success.

"With a player like Alex, you can create much more off the rush."

Burrows, for the record, is having a blast. All 17 muscles it takes to smile have to be sore.

"It's been so great, I used to do stuff like this in the ECHL," said Burrows, who had a goal and two assists in

Thursday's 5-2 win.

"But in the ECHL, I never worried too much about turning the puck over. Right now, when I'm trying to create this

stuff off the rush, it's high-percentage."

Burrows helped set up his own goal by pressuring the Senators in their own end. Fillip Kuba coughed up the puck,

Henrik picked it up and found Burrows, who wired in a 26-foot wrist shot. It gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead 3:14 into

the game. It was the type of aggressive hockey you likely would not have seen from Vancouver in either of the past

two defensively focused seasons.

"We created offence with our aggressive forecheck," Burrows said. "They turned the puck over. We jumped on the

loose puck and made them pay with one pass and a shot. It's fun right now."

It looks like it.

As Burrows rubs off on the Sedins, the twins looked like they rubbed off on him. Burrows set up the Canucks' fourth

goal with a Sedin-worthy pass. He circled through the slot and around the front of the Senators net. He then turned

and sent a 25-foot cross-crease pass like a laser the other way. It left Daniel with an easy tap-in goal and a new

appreciation for Burrows's playmaking.

"I knew he was there," Burrows said. "I was thinking about shooting, but the D-man had my stick and I got it in

front to Danny.

"He's a goal-scorer and when he sees it, he smells blood around the net. He always jumps on it and you know he's

going to get their first. That's why he's so good."

Scoring was never really his thing

Not known as a sniper, Canucks assistant captain impressing

all with his finish

By Gordon McIntyre, The Province

Hands up if, in your wildest dreams, you foresaw the scorer in Ryan Kesler.

If you did, you must have sold your house and unloaded your portfolio last summer, cancelled your vacation to

Marysville, Australia, a couple of weeks ago and have picked the winning number in tomorrow's 6/49.

The rest of us?

In Kesler we saw a lightning-quick skater who could beat defenders with his speed; we saw a gung-ho forward who

would sometimes try to beat defenders by dangling the puck or doing a spinarama.

But we didn't see finish. Kesler was more likely to injure himself on his spin-around backhanders than score.

He's never been a goal scorer, at least not since notching 44 in 72 games as a 16-year-old as part of a 117-point

campaign with Detroit Honeybaked in the MidWest Elite Hockey League.

Kesler managed 11 goals in 46 games his second season with the U.S. U-18 program and 11 again (plus 20 assists)

on a line with R.J. Umberger in 40 games at Ohio State in 2002-03, when Umberger had 26 goals and 27 assists.

Still, Kesler could fly and the Canucks surprised a few people by drafting him 23rd overall in 2003, ahead of players

such as Mike Richards, Corey Perry and Shea Weber.

He impressed with his hustle, his skating, his forechecking and his penalty killing as a rookie, but combined for just

five goals between the Manitoba Moose and the Canucks.

Kesler had a breakout year of sorts during the NHL lockout, scoring 30 times for the Moose in 2004-05. He was

getting first-line minutes with the Moose -- but with wingers the likes of the immortal Lee Goren and ordinary

superstar Jeff Heerema. (Goren had 32 goals that year and where's he now? Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish

Elite League.)

That Kesler and Alex Burrows were counted upon to provide secondary scoring for the Canucks, prior to Mats

Sundin joining the team, that Kesler scored 21 times last season as a checker, speaks volumes to his talent.

But no one foresaw the offence that was unleashed once Kesler was put on a line with Sundin and Pavol Demitra:

Seven goals in seven games since the line was thrown together and nine goals in his past eight games overall.

When Bob Clarke signed Kesler to an offer sheet worth $1.9 million US in 2006 and Dave Nonis matched it out of

anger and principle -- the Canucks GM had expected to sign Kesler for about $800,000 less than that -- a lot of

people couldn't decide which GM was the bigger dummy.

Now a bargain at $1.75 million against the cap, with one more year left on his three-year $5.25-million deal, Kesler

rates the A he wears.

And it's debatable: Has Kesler, who had scored a pair of goals the game before Vigneault formed the RPM line,

benefitted from playing with Sundin and Demitra?

Or have those two, earning a pro-rated $14 million between them, benefitted from joining Kesler?

Vigneault locks on to Wellwood target

He's a player you have to push, challenge, says Vancouver

bench boss

By Jason Botchford, The Province

Alain Vigneault didn't compare Kyle Wellwood to a blind mouse, but he came close to cutting his tail off with a

carving knife.

The coach believes some players need to be coddled, others carved -- which is what he did to Wellwood after a face-

to-face meeting on the ice during Thursday's game day practice.

Vigneault surprised everyone when he expressed frustration with his slumping forward by criticizing his effort on a

shot against Calgary.

It was a quick shot on which Miikka Kiprusoff made a dazzling save, one of the best you will see this year.

Vigneault didn't back down Thursday. Or mince words. But he did say the shot Tuesday everyone in Vancouver was

talking about for all the wrong reasons is not the real problem. It was one missed chance too many, the tipping point

for the coach.

"I still feel the same way as far as him needing to bear down more," Vigneault said. "I don't doubt his willingness.

But he has to bear down more in practice.

"In the last 10-15 games, every game he's getting one, two, three grade-A scoring chances that, as a team, we need

him to finish.

"If we're going to win, and win consistently, we need him to bury those chances."

Hey, coach, isn't that a little harsh? How many scoring chances, and open nets, have we all seen Canucks forwards

miss in the three years Vigneault has been coach? Hundreds? Thousands? Why Wellwood, and why now?

"He's a player you always have to push and challenge," Vigneault said. "It's my job to do it. I'm not here to be liked.

I'm here to get the best out of him. That's what I'm trying to do.

"As a coach you have to push the right buttons. Some guys need to be pushed a little harder, some guys need to be

handled differently. Kyle needs to be pushed, and that's what I'm doing."

Wellwood, it seems, has been suffering from both a confidence and an identity crisis. That couldn't have been

helped after Tuesday's win when he was robbed by Kiprusoff on a save that left everyone slack-jawed in

amazement.

Everyone but Vigneault, who said: "He's shooting the puck two miles per hour ... Obviously it looked like the goalie

made a big save, but the player didn't have a great attempt."

For most of his career, Wellwood has been a playmaker. But some success, and some luck, scoring goals for the

Canucks in the first half of this season has changed expectations.

"Right now I'm more concerned about scoring goals than setting people up," Wellwood said. "I'm out there with [the

Sedin twins] on the power play and they're doing enough passing.

"Earlier [in his career], I just worried about making passes and making good saucer passes. Now I'm worried about

shooting in quicker and getting the puck in the top of the net. It's been a little bit of a change, but it's something I'm

going to have to get used to."

Wellwood said Vigneault made it clear to him he was not just talking about the one chance Tuesday.

"I've had some good chances, partial breakaways and pucks around the net, and I haven't put it in," Wellwood said.

"I haven't felt comfortable with my stick and I just don't feel comfortable handling the puck and shooting it right

now.

"At the beginning of the year, I felt like I was picking corners easily and I had a lot of confidence around the net."

Wellwood said he tried a fatter blade in an attempt to alleviate his stick concerns, but it didn't work immediately.

On Tap: Where the boys are

The ProvinceFebruary 20, 2009

CANUCKS AT LEAFS

Saturday, 4 p.m., CBC

Looking ahead to this day and realizing they already packed 24 hours a day of Leafs-centric content onto the air,

TSN created a whole new network, TSN2.

CANUCKS AT CANADIENS

Tuesday, 4:30 p.m., SNET

The Habs lost 5-4 Thursday to the Penguins, dropping their record to 3-11-1 in the past month, including a 4-2 loss

to the Canucks Sunday. Alex Kovalev should be back in the Montreal lineup.

LIGHTNING AT CANUCKS

Feb. 27, 7 p.m., Pay-per-view

Steven Stamkos scored his first NHL hat trick on Tuesday in a 5-3 loss to Chicago, keeping the Bolts in the John

Tavares lottery with a chance for a second-straight No. 1 overall pick this June.

The Hat Trick: Three things to watch

The ProvinceFebruary 20, 2009 1. Who's the class of the class of '03?

If Canucks fans were sent scurrying to the Central Scouting rankings to find out who Ryan Kesler was in the '03

draft, what about Sharks fans who saw their club take Steve Bernier seven spots ahead at 16th, in front of Zach

Parise, Ryan Getzlaf and Brent Burns?

2. Alexander the Grate

Alex Burrows continued his rags-to-riches journey Thursday -- scoring, setting up, annoying opponents. Splitting up

the parts is an even greater reward for the Canucks than the sum of keeping the duo of Burrows and Ryan Kesler

together.

3. Wellwood gets some power back

You heard Alain Vigneault awhile back defend his decision to scratch Kyle Wellwood, saying Jannik Hansen had as

many points without the power-play time Wellwood gets. Thursday night, Wellwood picked up his first power-play

point since he scored the winning goal against Edmonton on Boxing Day on the PP.

Former Canuck Ryan Shannon finding a

groove with Sens

The ProvinceFebruary 20, 2009

Not much that has come easy to Ryan Shannon during a five-year professional career that has had more ups and

downs than a playground seesaw.

But the one thing he has never done is give up. It's paid off, because after a tough start to the year he has been on

one of those NHL ups during the past few weeks. Much of it is thanks to Cory Clouston.

The Ottawa Senators rookie head coach said Shannon's line, which includes centre Mike Fisher and right-winger

Nick Foligno, has been his best of late. Shannon scored his first two goals of the season Tuesday in Colorado.

Against the Canucks on Thursday, he notched an assist on Dany Heatley's second-period power-play goal.

"You hear about ups and downs, but this year I was pretty disappointed [at the beginning]," Shannon said. "My bags

were packed and I was ready to go to Vancouver when I was moved [traded to Ottawa for defenceman Lawrence

Nycholat in September]. That was a surprise. Then I was sent down [to the AHL] just after [Ottawa's] training

camp."

Shannon was called up a month into the season, only to suffer a concussion that kept him off the ice for three weeks.

"There's been a lot of setbacks, but now everything seems to be looking up," he said. "It's been settling for me and I

feel comfortable with the puck."

He also feels comfortable with his coach. Clouston likes a speed game and he likes Shannon, whom he coached in

Binghamton before getting the Senators job. Playing for Clouston in the AHL, Shannon had 35 points in 36 games.

"It really helped my mindset [when called up to Ottawa last month]. I felt comfortable and I knew I could play for

him."

Sundin circus to Sedin circus

By Tony Gallagher, The Province

As we head into the weekend and the Vancouver Canucks and Mats Sundin make their way to the centre of the

universe for what will undoubtedly be a three-ring circus, it should be lots of fun to see how everyone reacts and

more importantly performs.

But after it's all over -- win or lose -- the marathon which is an NHL season grinds on toward the trade deadline and

the inevitable speculation that will beset every team in the league, including Vancouver, as the first week in March

approaches.

The Canucks have already been linked to a deal that would land them Jay Bouwmeester -- at least amongst the

chattering classes -- and if any team could get permission to speak to the kid's agent to try to get a contract

hammered out, perhaps something might happen, given he doesn't seem to want to play in Florida.

The Panthers have already offered him lots of money and the holdup apparently isn't about money, but rather the

future and direction of the franchise.

The Panthers are loath to give him away and ruin any chance they might have to do something in this year's playoffs

just to say they got something for him, so any move would have to include the defender signing with his new team

and a significant package returning.

But that's not likely to happen unless Jacques Martin gives teams permission to talk to Bouwmeester's agent. He

wants to wait until the right deal comes along, then give the team permission, but if the Canucks could pull that one

off, it would be a nice hedge against

losing Mattias Ohlund -- which is looking increasingly likely.

The Sedins seem to be counting on the Toronto Maple Leafs being there to offer them a big-money deal this

summer, which is why they seem to be keeping their demands high, although they're not likely as high as the $6.5

million per year, per player, which has been reported.

That's fine if Toronto really is there, and not just leading on the present ownership and management, and by

extension the twins, for obvious reasons. If the Sedins do indeed want to play in Toronto, they'd face a ton more

pressure than they've ever experienced,

suffer a non-competitive team, as well as experiencing the discreet charm of Ron Wilson.

They are welcome to it.

Vancouver's offers are actually fairly reasonable, if you consider more than stats and the collapsing market the twins

are dealing with. And there hasn't been a final offer yet.

If the Canucks cannot re-sign the twins, there are some other intriguing options out there. What is to be the future of

Tim Connelly, the gifted yet fragile point-a-game forward in Buffalo set to become an unrestricted free agent?

The Sabres want to sign him, but at a price that reflects the fact he's played less than 33 per cent of the games over

his three-year, $8.7- million-US contract he's just finishing up.

They showed faith in him after he got his first concussion, now they'd like some good will back in return, evidently.

If that deal can't be reached, the Sabres are looking for a good young player, so perhaps the Canucks could put

together a package around Mason Raymond and take the risk on his health if they could get a contract hammered

out, but that would mean even more discussions with J.P. Barry, which haven't been overly successful recently.

Now that the player market has cooled and Marian Gaborik has had the hip operation that is supposed to put him

back on the ice on a more permanent basis, would he consider reuniting with Pavol Demitra if the Sedins depart and

Mats Sundin doesn't return?

His shouting match with GM Doug Risebrough in front of many of the other Wild players when he decided to have

his operation seems to have cooked his goose in Minny, and where he ends up and for how much money will be one

of the most interesting aspects of July 1 this year.

There's talk the Kings will make a pitch for him at the deadline, which could happen given their improvement and

room under the salary cap.

If so, it would help Risebrough, who already has his butt in a sling with ownership after his botching of the Niklas

Backstrom situation, one of the best goalies in the league set to become unrestricted this summer unless the Wild

come out of their financial boots to keep him. They could have had him for much more reasonable money this past

summer.

Chances are, however, that Gaborik will be the number one item on the auction block this summer. But as sought

after as he may be, it's doubtful he'll ever see the $8.5 million over eight years he turned down from the Wild earlier

this year.

Once this Sundin weekend is over, the fun can really begin.

Money, term are sticking points to Sedins'

deal

By Jason Botchford, The ProvinceFebruary 20, 2009

Despite a significant gap at the bargaining table, the Sedin twins' agent J.P. Barry is still holding out hope the pair of

forwards will re-sign in Vancouver.

It could be difficult. According a to a published report, the twins are seeking identical five-year deals that average

$6.5 million US per year. Meanwhile, the Canucks offered $5.5 million over three or four years.

These numbers shouldn't shock anyone, especially given context. For starters, it's a negotiation so each side is

seeking a deal that best suits its interests.

Given that, there is still room to meet somewhere in the middle, which is about what everyone expected. Based on

past performance, most would agree the twins are worth around $6 million per year.

It's just which side of $6 million where there is a debate.

But it's not just the money. The Canucks want a shorter deal to remain flexible in tough economic times. There is the

belief the salary cap could decrease by as much as 20 per cent in two years.

Barry is trying to get the twins what almost every other forward has got in the past few years -- a deal longer than

five years. Canucks GM Mike Gillis refused comment on the published numbers of the Sedins' deal

The Van Provies nightly awards

By Jason Botchford, The ProvinceFebruary 20, 2009

BEST QUOTE

"You think I'm the only guy who's ever done it? I won't be the first and I won't be the last. I'm the only guy who got

suspended for it, though."

- Jarkko Ruutu, who took a chomp on the thumb of Buffalo tough guy Andrew Peters earlier this season.

BEST QUIP

"They're worth $10 million!"

- Tom Larscheid after Daniel Sedin set up Henrik for the Canucks' second goal.

BIGGEST WORRY

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault put on his hard-to-please face after the game and feigned anger about his

teams' missed chances. "Henrik had another open net that he couldn't put it in. This must have happened five or six

times. We're going to work on that in practice."

BEST IDEA

The next time a team with Alex Auld plays the Canucks, they should start Auld. Three times the Canucks have

played Auld's teams since he left Vancouver and he hasn't started any of them. The Canucks are 2-0-1 in those

games and have outscored their opponents' 11-5.

BEST SIGN

"Even Obama has more than one line."

- a Sens fan frustrated with the team's lack of depth up front.

Canucks too strong for Senators

The Canadian Press

February 19, 2009 at 11:02 PM EST

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators looked tired after their recent successful road trip, and the surging Vancouver

Canucks took full advantage.

Vancouver's deadly line of Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows had nine points, six in the first period

alone, as the Canucks downed the Senators 5-2 on Thursday.

Henrik Sedin had a goal and three assists, twin brother had Daniel a goal and an assist while Burrows chipped in

with a goal and two assists.

"That line was real dominant right of the bat and played real well for us," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said.

"They seemed to have a little more energy and they found a way to get it done and I thought our whole team was

solid."

Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler, into an empty net, also scored for the Canucks (29-21-8) who won for the seventh

time in their past eight games.

Roberto Luongo made 25 saves for his 18th win of the season. The only Senators to beat him were Dany Heatley

and Mike Fisher.

Brian Elliot made his first start in three games in front of a crowd of 19,716 at Scotiabank Place and made 19 saves

in the loss.

It was the first game back from a five-game road trip on which the Senators (22-26-9) went 4-0-1 but lost captain

Daniel Alfredsson with a broken jaw. Alfredsson was hit with a puck in the face on a shot from Heatley in Tuesday's

3-2 shootout loss at Colorado.

It appeared as though the Senators were still fighting jet lag after their flight from Denver as the Canucks built a 4-0

lead before the midway point of the game.

"It took a lot of effort and energy to have a successful road trip like we did," Senators coach Cory Clouston said,

adding that's no excuse for his team's slow start.

"It's more mental than anything because if you can come on in the last half and play better than the first half, it's

more mental fatigue than physical fatigue."

Burrows opened the scoring at 3:14 of the first period and Henrik Sedin doubled that lead at 10:49. Bieksa scored on

the power play at 15:23 and the Canucks went into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead.

"We have a confident group now and we know we can overcome anything," Burrows said of the Canucks' recent

run.

"We fell that everybody is chipping in so we're feeling good about ourselves right now. It's a lot of hard work and

we're working smart and it's paying off so we have to keep it going."

Daniel Sedin scored at 8:35 of the second period before the Senators finally got themselves into the game scoring a

pair of goals before the end of the period.

Heatley scored a power-play goal at 12:38 to get the Senators on the scoreboard and Fisher scored at 16:18 to make

a game of it.

"We didn't come out as strong as we wanted to and defensively we made some errors and they capitalized," Fisher

said.

"Once we started to compete and bear down we took over and I thought we played well. Too little too late." The

Senators had the better of the chances in third period outshooting the Canucks 9-7, but Kesler scored into an empty

net with 12 seconds to play.

Mats takes act East

ERIC DUHATSCHEK

Globe and Mail Columnist

February 18, 2009 at 1:59 PM EST

CALGARY — The Mats Sundin circus headed for points east Wednesday morning, ready for five days of

unrelenting scrutiny in the bright lights of the big cities – first Ottawa, for a date with the once reviled Senators, and

then on to Toronto, where he will make his much-anticipated return to the city he called home for 13 years.

After 13 years of playing question-and-answer in the centre of the hockey universe, Sundin knows exactly what's to

come.

―I'm used to it,‖ he said – and Sundin watchers better get used to hearing a steady, unchanging message from the 38-

year-old Swede, who signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks in December and is slowly

rounding into form after a difficult start.

Sundin will talk about the ―process‖ of finding his game and the knowledge that it wouldn't happen overnight. He

will talk about the emotion he expects to feel as he prepares for the game – and do so in the most outwardly

unemotional manner imaginable.

In fact, the only time the even-keeled Sundin strayed into uncharted territory was when the question was put to him:

Was he actually an emotional guy?

―I think everybody's got emotions, no?‖ answered Sundin. ―That's a tough question. We'll see on Saturday.‖

And when one creative soul – seeking to get him thinking out of the box - asked if he'd ever cried at a movie as an

adult, Sundin laughed.

―I don't know if I want to talk about that,‖ he answered. ―Too personal.‖

The Canucks' schedule will likely protect Sundin from the worst of the media hordes anyway. At the moment, they

are supposed to stay over in Ottawa to practise Friday, and not travelling to Toronto until much later in the day.

Hockey Night in Canada will do its obligatory interview with him there. Sundin will likely not appear in public until

Saturday morning's day-of-game skate at the Air Canada Centre.

―I might be more excited to play the game than he is,‖ said Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo. ―I'm looking

forward to that. It's going to be a great atmosphere in the building. Everybody will be really pumped up. I enjoy

playing in those cities to begin with. With all that added hype, it'll be fun.‖

Of late, Sundin has been playing on a line with Ryan Kesler and Pavol Demitra, which is Vancouver's nominal

second line, behind the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, along with Alex Burrows. For the first time all season, it

gives the Canucks two units that can score – even if it meant breaking up two-thirds of one of the best third lines in

the NHL (Kesler, Burrows and whoever happened to join them for the ride).

Sundin had eight points in six games, prior to getting shut out in Tuesday night's 4-3 shootout victory over the

Calgary Flames, in which Kesler scored twice and Demitra provided the shootout winner.

―I knew coming in mid-season that it would be a challenge – to get into the NHL and compete with the best players

in the world, when everybody's been going for three or four months,‖ said Sundin. ―That's a big challenge and I

knew that. To be honest with you, it's been about what I expected. I knew it was not going to be an easy ride. That's

my mindset. I knew it was a process. Every time I come down to practice and try to get better every game that goes

by.‖

Sundin wasn't sure what kind of reception he might get, but you'd have to think that it will be universally positive;

and that the Maple Leaf faithful would value his 13 years of diligent service far more than the circumstances of his

departure – and the fact that he wouldn't accept a trade out of Toronto at the deadline last year to help facilitate the

team's rebuilding strategy.

Then as now, Sundin thought the Leafs had a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. Rebuilding strategies are for

managers; winning every time they go out on the ice is the players' job and especially if that player happens to be the

team captain.

This was not the same as Alexei Yashin spitting in the face of the Ottawa Senators by reneging on a series of signed

contracts; this was a player who bled blue and white for all the prime years of his career.

―I don't know if I look forward to getting it behind me,‖ said Sundin, carefully. ―I don't know if that's the way I look

at it. I'm going to enjoy coming back to Toronto and … we'll see.

―I have no regrets about my 13 years with the Maple Leafs. I have nothing but great things to say about the city, the

organization, the fans. It was outstanding to be part of that for all those years and I'm looking forward to going back

to play the game. It's going to be an emotional day.‖

And if the next handful of days feature question after repetitive question? That's OK too.

―Playing in Canada, hockey's an important thing, and I enjoy that,‖ he said. ―I played my whole career in Canada,

where people care how the team if the team is doing well or playing bad, and that's the deal, whether you're in

Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary or Edmonton, wherever you are. And that's good.‖

Sundin's road show arrives in Ontario

ROY MacGREGOR

From Friday's Globe and Mail

February 19, 2009 at 10:37 PM EST

OTTAWA — On a cold February day in Ottawa, the foreign leader came to town amid a crush of cameras and the

threat of snow.

They closed off roads for U.S. President Barack Obama, who very quickly headed back to the Centre of the Western

World.

As for hockey player Mats Sundin, who today will head back, for the first time this season, to the Centre of the

Universe, he had to take the bus and sit in Ottawa traffic with the rest of the Vancouver Canucks.

And yet, the rising interest in Sundin's return to Toronto in an NHL jersey other than the Maple Leafs' was such that

Jason Spezza felt it necessary to set the record straight.

Obama's historic visit, the Ottawa Senators centre said, was indisputably the more important of the two visits.

"Maybe not in Toronto," Spezza hastened to add, "but here."

This trip to Toronto — highlighted by the Maple Leafs-Canucks match tomorrow to celebrate Hockey Day In

Canada — has passed through Calgary and now the nation's capital and is being watched roughly as close as

Napoleon's March on Moscow. What will happen? Will they boo or cheer? Will Sundin emerge triumphant — or

will he be repelled?

They are curious questions — more interesting, in their own way, than his own play has been since his return to the

NHL 17 games ago. The big, 38-year-old Swede began ice-cold, warmed up for a few games and, going into last

night's game in Ottawa against the Senators, had turned cold again with just one assist in his previous four games.

Not much to show, so far, for the $5-million (U.S.) it will cost the Canucks to have the future Hall of Famer on the

roster for the rest of the season.

He remained cold last night. Sundin could hardly have been less a factor in the Canucks' 5-2 victory over the

Senators, the stars being Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo and two much-younger Swedes, twin brothers

Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Henrik scored once and set up three goals, with Daniel adding a goal and an assist.

Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa and Pavel Demitra — into an empty Ottawa net — also scored for Vancouver, with

Ottawa goals going to Dany Heatley and Mike Fisher.

Still, Sundin is both a special player — 1,332 points in 1,321 NHL games — and a special person, a quiet captain

for the Leafs who was both a model of consistency and a model citizen.

At least until last year, when he chose to engage his no-trade clause and thereby denied the Leafs the chance to trade

him for something, anything, that might have advanced the team's rebuilding plans.

Then there were the embarrassing poker ads on television, Sundin essentially endorsing the wonky notion that there

is something sporting in a card game.

And then there was the endless hemming and hawing over where he was going — the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa

and Vancouver were all in pursuit — only to have him declare the Canucks had been his choice all along.

If only he'd just said so.

It has not been a glorious return to action, but it has not been quite the disaster it was seen as early on. Sundin had

six goals and five assists in 16 matches going into Ottawa, but still seemed slow and unsure on the ice.

"It's a process," he said before the game. "I wouldn't say I feel better than expected, but not worse, either. It's an up-

and-down period for a while until you're where you want to be. It's kind of what I expected."

Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault is careful not to say quite what he himself expected of Sundin. It would be fair to

say he has been both disappointed and encouraged — still hopeful that Sundin can play a role in preserving

Vancouver's current status as a playoff-bound team.

"I think it has more to do with him starting to find his legs and his hands," Vigneault said. "Any time you're off for

a period of nine months, whether you're young or older, it's going to take you some time to get back in the groove.

"He's slowly but surely getting into the rhythm here, and he's going to be a good player for us down the stretch."

Sundin said yesterday he has no idea what his reception will be when he takes to the ice at the Air Canada Centre in

Toronto tomorrow night.

"I haven't thought about it too much," he lied. Considering he has been asked about it daily since his return, one can

only wonder what else he has been able to think about.

No one seems to agree on how he will be received.

"I think they'll cheer," said fellow Swede Daniel Alfredsson, the Ottawa captain now out of action with a broken

jaw. "I don't think his not waving his no-trade clause can erase all those years."

Ottawa forward Dany Heatley, on the other hand, was sure Sundin would be booed — at least in Ottawa.

"Sure," said Heatley, "he's a Leafer for life."

"I can only imagine what it's going to be like," laughed Sundin's teammate, Sami Salo, alluding to the expected

crush of media. "I don't know if the players will fit in the locker room."

Sundin, who has never been known for his opinions, doesn't really seem to have one about what may or may not

happen in Toronto.

"I don't know," he said. "I can only worry about the things I can control.

"I feel good about going back. Toronto is still a home for me. I spent 13 years within the city as a Toronto Maple

Leaf, so it's always going to be part of my heart. At the same time, once the puck drops, it's going to be a game like

any other game."

Sure.

And Barack Obama is going to be a president like any other.

Sens suffer a twin killing Sedins deadly in Canucks win

By CHRIS STEVENSON, SUN MEDIA

The Senators knew it was going to be a struggle to start with, the first game back home after a long road trip and all that ...

So Ottawa defenceman Filip Kuba turns the puck over right inside the Senators blue line three minutes into the game, puts it right on the stick of Canucks forward Henrik Sedin and one pass later, it's 1-0 for the Canucks. It was 4-0 before the Senators showed a flicker of life.

The Senators lost the game 5-2 and Scotiabank Place got quite enough to hear all the momentum they earned during the road trip, earning nine of a possible 10 points, evaporate.

It was a tough spot going into the game, playing their sixth game in nine nights, getting in early Wednesday morning from Colorado, and finding out they would be without captain Daniel Alfredsson, sidelined for at least a week with a fractured jaw.

But ... wow.

"We made some mistakes you can't make, especially against a team like that," said Senators forward Mike Fisher, whose eighth goal of the season made it 4-2 late in the second period, but the Senators couldn't get anything past Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo after that.

"Every mistake we made was a dangerous mistake," said Senators coach Cory Clouston, who shook up his lines to try and get something going, flipping Fisher and Jason Spezza. The latter wound up the odd man out in the second with just four shifts and three minutes and 56 minutes of ice time.

"We got some chemistry and we got our feet going, so we decided to stick with that combination. (Spezza's) no different than the rest. He's got to respond with a better effort (tomorrow against the Habs in Montreal). That was a team effort that cost us the game in the first period," said Clouston.

The Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin-Alex Burrows line chewed up the Spezza-Dany Heatley-Ryan Shannon line to start the game. Spezza and Heatley each wound up minus-3 on the night.

Henrik Sedin wound up with a goal and three assists on the night, Burrows had a goal and two assists and Daniel Sedin a goal and an assist.

And that was just 28 minutes into the game.

"They seem to know where the other guy is going to be before he gets there. They make passes to open areas and they get there right away," said Senators defenceman Chris Phillips.

"It was obviously one of their best periods and one of their best games of the year," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault.

Henrik made it 2-0 at 10:41 of the first after Daniel deked around Ottawa's Chris Kelly high in the slot and left Henrik the open back door. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa scored on the power play at 15:23 on a shot that looked like it changed direction on Senators goaltender Brian Elliott.

Daniel Sedin scored his 25th of the year to make it 4-0 on another turnover in the Senators' zone with Burrows swinging by a diving Anton Volchenkov and dishing to Sedin, who beat Phillips' check at 8:35 of the second.

With just under four minutes to go in the second, Fisher dished the puck off and then tangled with Canucks defenceman Mattias Ohlund in the slot, knocking him down and sending him sliding into the Vancouver net where he was a bit of a distraction to Luongo. Fisher then got a piece of a shot by Phillips for Fisher's eighth goal of the season.

Heatley wound up playing with Fisher and Shannon. Heatley had opened the scoring for the Senators on the power play for his 27th of the season with Nick Foligno throwing up a screen in front of Luongo at 12:37 of the second period.

For those still bothering to keep track, the Senators, stuck on 53 points, missed a good chance to try and cut into their 13-point deficit on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as the Canadiens (67), Panthers (66) and the Sabres (66), who hold down spots six through eight, all lost last night.

Unwelcome Mats awaits? Friends, foes alike hope Leafs fans cheer former star Sundin in return

By DON BRENNAN, SUN MEDIA

The top scorer in Maple Leafs history makes his return to the Air Canada Centre tomorrow night, and the jury is out on the reception he will receive.

Will the faithful of blue and white be "fir or agin" Mats Sundin?

"I hope they give him a standing ovation," Kyle Wellwood, a teammate of Sundin's as a Leaf and now a Canuck, said yesterday. "But Toronto fans, it seems like they boo everybody. So there's a chance ... "

More than a chance.

Ironically, the answer would have been a no-brainer had Sundin not been so adamant about maintaining his Toronto address in the days leading up to last season's trade deadline.

With the Leafs in rebuild mode and their captain months from becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency, Sundin was undecided on his plans for the 2008-09 season. Retirement was not out of the question. The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn't want to pack up and move in March, and so he refused to waive the no-trade clause in his contract.

GOT NOTHING

Instead of landing a package of prospects and picks for him, the Leafs wound up with nothing when the club and Sundin parted ways at the end of the season.

"I know that there are some people that talk about maybe he let the team down, in the sense they couldn't get anything for him, but he had a no-trade clause in his contract and he thought he was going to finish his career as a Maple Leaf," said Senators defenceman Brendan Bell, an ex-Leaf. "I think he deserves that right to make that choice."

Sundin, who played 981 games and scored 987 points (including 420 goals) over 13 years in Toronto, only elected to resume his NHL career when the current campaign was well under way.

The Canucks signed him to a one-year deal that will pay him a prorated $8.2 million US and, through 16 games heading into last night's meeting with the Senators, he had rebounded from a slow start to score six goals and five assists for Vancouver.

"His legs and hands are real, real close to where they should be," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. "I think I said after the all-star game, it's still going to take him a couple of more weeks and that's where we are. He's slowly but surely getting into the rhythm here and he's going to be a good player for us down the stretch."

Sundin, who made his Canucks debut Jan. 7, was his old self at the start of February with four goals in three games. But before playing Ottawa, he had only one assist in his last four outings.

"It's a process for me," Sundin said when asked if getting back into the swing of things was harder than he thought it would be. "I wouldn't say I feel better than expected, and not worse either. It's going to be an up-and-down period for a while, until you're there where you want to be. It's kind of what I expected."

But never has he questioned his own decision to return.

"No, I feel fortunate to be back playing in the National Hockey League," said Sundin. "At my age, I realized that if I wasn't going to play this year that would have been the end of my career. To get a chance to compete again against the best players in the world, I feel very fortunate. I'm very happy to be playing. It's been a lot of fun playing hockey again."

Sundin said he hasn't given too much thought about how he will be treated when he steps on ACC ice in a Canucks sweater.

"I feel good about going back," he said. "Toronto feels like a home for me. I spent 13 years in the city, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the fans there, and it's been great years. It's always going to be a part of my heart. Saying that though, once the puck drops it's going to be a game like any other game."

A Sundin countryman who has been the target of Toronto boobirds over the years thinks No. 13 will be saluted.

"I think they'll cheer him," said Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. "I don't think him not waiving his no-trade clause can erase what he did for all those years. I think the fans will appreciate what he's done."

Top prospect trade bait? Schneider's name sure to be mentioned as Canucks look to improve at deadline

By KEN WIEBE, SUN MEDIA

Cory Schneider has been through this situation before and chances are pretty good it is something that will become an annual rite of spring until he establishes himself as a bona fide starter at the next level.

With less than two weeks to go before the NHL trade deadline, some folks are wondering if the parent Vancouver Canucks will package their top prospect in an effort to take a serious run at the Stanley Cup.

Schneider heard the whispers around the deadline last season and he's heard some chatter this time around, but he's not about to let rumours interrupt what has been an outstanding season for both him and the Manitoba Moose.

"There's so much speculation. I thought there was a more realistic chance of being moved last year than this year, but you never know," Schneider said earlier this week before the Moose hit the road to continue a stretch of 10 games away from the MTS Centre. "It's a business and teams have to do what they have to do to make their push."

The Canucks don't have any goaltending depth under contract past this season beyond Roberto Luongo and Schneider, so dealing the potential goalie of the future could be a gamble -- especially since Luongo can't be signed to a long-term extension until July 1.

But Canucks general manager Mike Gillis isn't afraid to make bold moves, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Schneider is prepared to deal with whatever happens come March 4, but he's hoping to lead the Moose to the promised land this spring.

"It would be disappointing because I like this organization and the guys that we have here," said Schneider. "I'm here now and hopefully I'll be here a month from now."

Schneider is 20-3-1 in 25 appearances with the Moose this season and has a 1.62 goals against average and .938 save percentage to go along with four shutouts.

With 23 games left in the regular season, Schneider is closing in on the franchise record for most wins in a season, currently held by Wade Flaherty (who had 26 in 2005-06).

"That really never occurred to me, I just wanted to improve on last season and continue the momentum I had in the second half of the season," said Schneider, who was 20-12-2 with a 2.28 goals against average in 36 games in 2007-08. "I'm glad that I've been able to continue where I left off (before his recall to the Canucks on Nov. 22) and proved the first half (of 2008-09) wasn't a fluke."

Moose head coach Scott Arniel has been impressed by the way Schneider has maintained his elite level of play through the AHL season -- especially after dealing with some adversity during his first taste of NHL action.

"Every goaltender is going to get the highs-and-lows but he's done a very good job of keeping a very even keel," said Arniel. "I was expecting a drop-off after he came back from Vancouver, but he's handled the transition very well. He's a guy who's really focused on his career and where he wants to get to.

"He's a guy we look to for a lot of leadership, but he lets his goaltending do a lot of the talking for him."

The league-leading Moose face the Grand Rapids Griffins at Van Andel Arena today at 6:05 p.m.

Sedin, Canucks stifle streaking Sens By THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators looked tired after their recent successful road trip, and the surging Vancouver Canucks took full advantage.

Vancouver's deadly line of Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows had nine points, six in the first period alone, as the Canucks downed the Senators 5-2 on Thursday. Henrik Sedin had a goal and three assists, twin brother had Daniel a goal and an assist while Burrows chipped in with a goal and two assists.

"That line was real dominant right of the bat and played real well for us," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said.

"They seemed to have a little more energy and they found a way to get it done and I thought our whole team was solid."

Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler, into an empty net, also scored for the Canucks (29-21-8) who won for the seventh time in their past eight games.

Roberto Luongo made 25 saves for his 18th win of the season. The only Senators to beat him were Dany Heatley and Mike Fisher.

Brian Elliot made his first start in three games in front of a crowd of 19,716 at Scotiabank Place and made 19 saves in the loss.

It was the first game back from a five-game road trip on which the Senators (22-26-9) went 4-0-1 but lost captain Daniel Alfredsson with a broken jaw. Alfredsson was hit with a puck in the face on a shot from Heatley in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss at Colorado.

It appeared as though the Senators were still fighting jet lag after their flight from Denver as the Canucks built a 4-0 lead before the midway point of the game.

"It took a lot of effort and energy to have a successful road trip like we did," Senators coach Cory Clouston said, adding that's no excuse for his team's slow start.

"It's more mental than anything because if you can come on in the last half and play better than the first half, it's more mental fatigue than physical fatigue."

Burrows opened the scoring at 3:14 of the first period and Henrik Sedin doubled that lead at 10:49. Bieksa scored on the power play at 15:23 and the Canucks went into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead.

"We have a confident group now and we know we can overcome anything," Burrows said of the Canucks' recent run.

"We fell that everybody is chipping in so we're feeling good about ourselves right now. It's a lot of hard work and we're working smart and it's paying off so we have to keep it going."

Daniel Sedin scored at 8:35 of the second period before the Senators finally got themselves into the game scoring a pair of goals before the end of the period.

Heatley scored a power-play goal at 12:38 to get the Senators on the scoreboard and Fisher scored at 16:18 to make a game of it.

"We didn't come out as strong as we wanted to and defensively we made some errors and they capitalized," Fisher said.

"Once we started to compete and bear down we took over and I thought we played well. Too little too late." The Senators had the better of the chances in third period outshooting the Canucks 9-7, but Kesler scored into an empty net with 12 seconds to play.

Notes: Canucks forward Mason Raymond played in his 100th NHL game Thursday nightF Henrik Sedin is one goal shy of 100 for his careerThe Canucks play the Maple Leafs in Toronto Saturday nightSenators forward Kelly played in his 300th NHL game Thursday nightF Cody Bass missed his 24th straight game with a shoulder injury while F Chris Neil missed his sixth straight with a calf lacerationThe Senators next game is in a Saturday matinee in Montreal against the Canadiens

Brophy: Mixed emotions on Mats

Mats Sundin will make his return to the town that embraced him as captain for over a decade.

Darryl Sittler recalls his first trip back to Maple Leaf Gardens after being traded to the

Philadelphia Flyers in January, 1982.

Well, sort of.

"To be honest with you, I can't remember if my first game back was during the season I

was traded or the next year," said the long-time Maple Leafs captain and one of the most

popular players in franchise history. (It actually wasn't until March of the following year that

Sittler made his return to the Gardens.) "The one thing I do remember, though, is our coach

Bob McCammon didn't put me in the starting lineup so there was a little bit of wait before

fans were able to express themselves. When I finally got my first shift, there were mostly

cheers, but I did hear a smattering of boos."

Sittler was not the first popular ex-Maple Leaf to return to Toronto with another team and

he certainly wasn't the last. In fact, there will be something of a homecoming Saturday

night when the Leafs play host to the Vancouver Canucks. That is when Kyle Wellwood will

play his first game in Toronto after being cut free by the Leafs.

Just kidding.

All eyes will, of course, be on another former Leafs captain - Mats Sundin - who will play

his first game against his old club after the months-long saga that ended with him signing

with Vancouver in December.

Sundin will be honoured with a video tribute at some point during the evening, but the big

question is will fans welcome him with a friendly ovation or boo the pants right off the guy?

Maple Leafs fans have been known to turn on their own, particularly when they feel the

player has done them wrong. Just ask Bryan McCabe. When he made his return to Toronto

this season with the Florida Panthers, he was booed every time he touched the puck. Funny

thing is, the Leafs honoured him with a video tribute which drew cheers from the fans, but

the second the game resumed and he touched the puck, the boos began again.

My guess is fans will stand and cheer the return of their former captain. Most fans, that is.

"I think he'll be welcomed back with a nice ovation," Sittler said. "But there may be some

fans who still resent the fact Mats did not allow the team to trade him last season to get

some assets back in return. Some fans see him playing for Vancouver now and wonder what

the Leafs could have gotten for him if he had waived his no-trade clause."

To that end, I think Leafs fans should give the big Swede a break. While it is true the team

could have received some valuable assets that would have helped accelerate the rebuilding

process, there is a reason why Sundin was awarded a no-trade clause in his last contract

with Toronto: for 13 years he was a tireless worker who never took a night off and gave it

everything he had for his team.

Now the debate rages over whether or not he is a Hall of Famer - I happen to think no - but

nobody will ever convince me he did the Leafs franchise wrong. Sundin played out his

contract, doing everything he could to help the Leafs try to make the playoffs and then he

opted to sign with another team.

Sundin said he wouldn't accept a trade last year because he didn't cherish the notion of

being a rental player. Some would suggest that is exactly what he is with the Canucks. Not

me. I believe Sundin really had not made up his mind if he wanted to play again and it

wasn't until the season started that he actually discovered he still had a passion for the

game.

I believe he chose not to return to Toronto because he was hurt by the way he was treated

by the organization last year. To be given a no-trade clause and then to be asked to waive it

did not sit well with him.

As the Leafs stumble through a write-off season, Sundin is doing everything in his power to

help the Canucks win. Going into Thursday's game against Ottawa he had six goals and five

assists in 16 games with Vancouver. He'll hope to add to his totals against his old club.

Sittler's departure from the Leafs in 1982 was radically different from the circumstances

that led to Sundin leaving. Fed up with management, Sittler walked out on the team saying

he was, "mentally depressed," and was subsequently dealt to the Flyers for Rich Costello,

Ken Strong and a second-round draft pick. And when No. 27 returned to Toronto, it was all

business.

"Obviously there is a lot of excitement coming back to play in a building you played in for so

many years," Sittler said. "But once the puck drops you have to give your all for the team

you are playing for now. There's no time to think about what was once the game starts."

Sittler hopes the fans show Sundin the respect he deserves.

"They should cheer him," Sittler said. "He had a wonderful career in Toronto and he's a

great person. I think he's very deserving of an ovation from the fans."