The Vancouver Canucks will play in their second preseason game of the 2013-14 season when they take on the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday.
The Canucks opened the preseason with a 3-2 loss on Monday against the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks were the team that swept Vancouver out of the playoffs last season and ultimately cost Coach Alain Vigneault his job. Despite the loss, new coach John Tortorella is looking to change the culture in the clubhouse and is confident he can help this team return to its position as a top Stanley Cup contender.
One thing that has impressed the coach about his new team is the Sedin twins Daniel and Henrik.
"Each day I'm around them I am so impressed with the Sedins. That's one of the biggest things that I have going for me as a new coach in a new organization," he said in an interview with NHL.com. "To have your two best players act, go about their business, handle themselves in the locker room and do what they do on the ice with the conditioning we've gone through, it's a huge plus for me.
"Each day it's just so impressive. I hear people talk that they're soft and this and that, but just the class they have shown so far and how hard they work it is just going to make my job easier in trying to have a sell as far as how we want to play," he added.
Tortorella noted that one of the things he hopes to implement on the team is the mentality of blocking shots. He even noted that he expects the Sedins, known mainly for their offensive skills, to block some shots this season and play on the penalty kill.
"They're going to be killing penalties and I hope they do [block shots] because I know both Danny and Hank want more," he revealed. "In my conversations with them this summer they want more. I've told the team I'm going to ask more out of everybody on this club and they've embraced that. For them to get more they're going to be put in more situations, not just offensively but away from the puck and killing penalties, and they can be very dangerous people killing penalties."
Meanwhile, the Oilers have played three preseason games against Calgary in a split-squad situation. One Oilers side defeated one Calgary team while the other Oilers team lost; both games took place on Saturday. Their most recent match was a game in Winnipeg against the Jets.
Start Time: 10 p.m. EST
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