It's been over two years since the Vancouver Canucks came all the way to Atlanta for a game. They have the longest distance to travel for games in the Western Conference, but the travel for tonight's game is certainly out of the ordinary. What isn't out of the ordinary for the Canucks is winning. They're leading the tough Western Conference and the entire league with 105 points. Barring an absolute implosion, they'll wind up as the President's Trophy winners for the season.
The Thrashers, who played last night, will be starting Ondrej Pavelec in net. Pavs has never faced the Canucks before, and the deadly Sedin line is going to be a complete nightmare for him if the team's defense can't clear the crease. Chris Mason was 1-0-1 against them last season with a 2.45 GAA. He was also strong against the Canucks in St. Louis' last playoff appearance in 2009, but that didn't prevent the Canucks from sweeping the Blues out in four games.
Vancouver is 23-9-4 in away games this season, playing better on the road than most teams have played in their home arenas. A very decent portion of their solid record is thanks to Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Daniel leads the league with 95 points (40 goals and 55 assists), while Henrik comes in second on the Canucks with 18 goals and a whopping 70 assists. In contrast, the top scorer on the Thrashers - Andrew Ladd - has 27 goals and 27 assists, and is a -10. The Sedins are a +27 and +23, respectively.
The key to winning is shutting the Wonder Twins down, and that is easier said than done. Last season, Daniel Sedin had a hat trick in Vancouver's 4-2 win over the Thrashers - keeping him off the point sheet is key.