Weekend sports round-up
Posted December 18, 2009 2:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Vancouver Canucks (19-15-0) continue their homestand with a visit from the highflying Washington Capitals (21-7-6). The Capitals beat the Canucks 5-1 in their only meeting last year played in Washington.
Two-time NHL MVP Alexander Ovechkin leads the Capitals into town. The young Russian has six points in his last three games. Ovechkin knows he will be back in Vancouver in February when he and Team Russia look to break the hearts of Canadian hockey fans. “Of course you get excited when you see the Olympic logo everywhere and you start to realize this is the Olympic city. But it’s still two months away, so right now you got to concentrate on your game.”
The game is also a homecoming for former Canucks centre Brendan Morrison. Morrison played eight seasons in Vancouver centering Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi on the West Coast Express line before signing with the Anaheim Ducks last season.
Canucks will need another good performance from Henrik Sedin. The Canucks forward is third in scoring with 43 points and fifth in the league with 28 assists. Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo has won nine of his last 10 games versus Ovechkin, dating back to Luongo’s time with the Florida Panthers. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
The Vancouver Giants (22-11-1-2) host the Chilliwack Bruins (14-17-1-4) at the Pacific Coliseum Friday night. The team will salute Hall of Famer and Giants co-owner Gordie Howe.
The first 5,000 fans will receive a commemorative photo of Gordie Howe. Another 100 will be selected to meet Howe and receive an autographed copy of Gordie’s new book Nine: A Salute to Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe. Giants begin the night with a 10-point first place lead in the B.C. Division over the Kelowna Rockets. Face-off is 7:30 p.m.
Finally, the Abbotsford Heat (15-13-2-2) are home to the Peoria Rivermen (16-10-1-2) in American Hockey League Saturday night. The Heat are currently 5th place in the AHL’s North Division, heading into their last weekend before Christmas. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre.
