NHL playoffs: Canucks at Blues, Game 4 (Vancouver leads 3-0)
The Vancouver Canucks can become the first team to advance to the conference semifinals by putting the St. Louis Blues out of their misery on Tuesday night.
And the Canucks are -150 money line favorites on WagerWeb.com to end the series tonight.
St. Louis was hoping to get back injured winger Paul Kariya for Game 4, but that looks unlikely. Kariya hasn’t played since November (hip surgeries) but has been skating.
He did skate again for 90 minutes Monday, but all indications are that he’s not yet ready for game action (he is officially listed as questionable). The local reports state that he skated with defensemen, not the forwards, and is just trying to get in shape and is nowhere near ready to get in sync with teammates for a game.
“I felt good,” he said. “Legs feel good, hands need some work, but it was a positive step . . . This is the second day. Usually when you step up your program, it’s the second day that you have to watch out. I think it’s a question of whether I can help the team win a game or not.”
He will talk with the team doctor on Tuesday morning in the long-shot hopes of being cleared for game action.
“There has to be communication with Dr. Philippon and that hasn’t been done yet,” Kariya said. “There’s a difference between bumping in practice and bumping in a game.”
The Blues haven’t been swept in a best-of-seven playoff series since 1994, while Vancouver could become the first Blues’ opponent since San Jose in 2000 to win two playoff games in St. Louis.
Vancouver also has an injury concern with forward Mats Sundin. The 38-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in Game 2 (in which he scored the go-ahead goal) and missed Game 3. A decision will come after Tuesday morning’s skate.
“It’s about the same as after Game 2,” Sundin said of his undisclosed injury. “It’s day-to-day, and we’ll leave it at that.”
With the Canucks firmly in control, look for Sundin to be held out.
The Blues are 1-for-17 on the power play in the series and have just three goals overall.
WagerWeb.com Trends
* Canucks are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
* Home team is 27-11-2 in the last 40 meetings.
* Canucks are 8-17-1 in the last 26 meetings in St. Louis.
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