The Coach's Friday Night NHL *SURE SHOT*
(NHL) Vancouver vs. Carolina,
Money Line: -107.00 Carolina (Home)
Result: Loss
The Vancouver Canucks are off a 4-0 win at Philadelphia last night but might find a tougher opponent in the rejuvenated Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The Canes are 4-1-1 in the new year, winning all four on home ice. They rank near the bottom of the league for goals per game, but have shown some real improvement over recent games. I think they'll be too much to handle here for a worn out Canucks team.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. The Canucks Goaltending Situation - With Ryan Miller playing the full game last night we are likely to see back-up Eddie Lack in goal for the Nucks tonight. He was roughed up by the Predators in Nashville his last outing, conceding five goals on 30 shots and is 2-2-1 behind a 2.86 GAA on the road for the season.

2. Trends - The Nucks will play their third road game in four days, and have lost 12 of their last 14 games playing on back-to-back days. The home team has been highly favored in recent match-ups between those two teams with the hosts taking down nine of the last 10.

3. X-Factor - Jordan Staal tallied his first goal for the season as he opened the scoring in the Canes 3-2 SO win against the Avs Tuesday. His return from injury has been a real boost for the Canes who are 4-2-1 with Jordan on the ice.

Selection: This is a play on the Carolina Hurricanes (10*)