This is a 5* BIG-CHALK CHOKE-OUT on the Vancouver Canucks.

Some times a favorite is a favorite for a reason and in this case I definitely feel that the home side should be a much bigger one. Vancouver gets a big boost today with the expected return of defenseman Kevin Bieksa and forwards Brad Richardson and Chris Higgins. Vancouver is still up on both LA and Calgary in points and will be especially motivated after falling 4-0 to the Kings on Thursday. This is also a revenge game for the Canucks who lost 5-2 to the Leafs on December 6th. This is a tough spot for Toronto which is coming off a 6-3 loss in Calgary just last night; note that the Leafs are a brutal 1-16-2 in their last 19 on the road. I will call the goaltending a "wash", but note that Toronto is a horrible 10-13 (-2.6 units) in all non-conference games this season, while Vancouver is 19-16 (+2.5 units) in revenging a loss vs. an opponent. In my opinion, the situation, the numbers and the trends do all indeed make the CANUCKS worth the price of admission in this spot.

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