Faceoff aces Horvat, Malhotra to battle

A Saturday game on Hockey Night in Canada against an Original Six franchise is normally something to get excited about and would be an easy pick for Game of the Week. Unfortunately, it’s against the Toronto Maple Leafs and it just hasn’t been easy to get hyped up about a game against the Leafs in recent years. Even seeing former Canucks on the other side of the ice isn’t as meaningful, as one of them is Mike Santorelli, who didn’t even play a full season in Vancouver, and the other is David Booth, whose fans in Vancouver are few and far between. There is, however, one matchup against an Original Six franchise this week that holds a little more promise. The Canucks head into Montreal to play the Canadiens on Tuesday, a rematch of one of the most exciting games of the season. Their fi rst meeting was a 3- 2 overtime thriller, featuring a gorgeous game winner by Daniel Sedin. That game was full of speed, skill and physicality and the rematch should be just as thrilling. The Canadiens are still one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and a good test for the Canucks. They’re especially tough at home, where they’re 9- 3- 1, while the Canucks are one of the best teams in the NHL on the road. Adding to the narrative around this game is that the Canadiens likely aren’t too happy about Alex Burrows. Last time these two teams met, the Canucks scored one of their goals thanks to Burrows throwing a late hit on Alexei Emelin. Unsurprisingly, Burrows got a suspension for the hit, but you can bet the Canadiens don’t like him too much. Will anyone on the Canadiens target Burrows for some retribution? Probably not, but there should be some bad blood between these two teams, which generally leads to a better game. More importantly, it’s a meeting between two of the top faceoff men in the NHL: Manny Malhotra and Bo Horvat. Horvat was still in Utica on his conditioning stint the last time these two teams met, so we were deprived of this all- important matchup. Will youthful vigour defeat old- man strength? Will Malhotra’s experience prove too much for Horvat’s OHLhoned skills? Will the faceoff battle impact the result of the game in any way, shape or form? Who knows? That’s why they play the games. Literally, the only reason is to fi nd out who’s best at faceoff s. On a more serious note, it will be the fi rst home game for the Canadiens since the death of Jean Beliveau, so the Habs, who never do a ceremony halfway, are sure to bring all the pomp and circumstance to the pre- game that Le Gros Bill deserved. Don’t miss it.