FOXSports.com News for Alexander Edler

ROSTER REPORT

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:37:41 GMT

GOALTENDERS: Roberto Luongo, Andrew Raycroft. DEFENSEMEN: Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo, Shane O'Brien, Alexander Edler, Aaron Rome, Nolan Baumgartner. FIRST LINE: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows. SECOND LINE: Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Pavol Demitra. THIRD LINE: Jannik Hansen, Kyle Wellwood, Mikael Samuelsson FOURTH LINE: Tanner Glass, Ryan Johnson, Rick Rypien. PLAYER NOTES: --D Andrew Alberts was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes just before Wednesday's trade deadline in exchange for a third-round draft pick this summer. Alberts, a big, physical defender who was plus-7 on a woeful Carolina team this season, is expected to join the Canucks in Chicago on Friday and will be counted on to help offset the loss of shutdown defenseman Willie Mitchell, who remains out indefinitely and could miss the rest of the season after a Jan. 16 concussion. --C Henrik Sedin broke out of a recent scoring funk with three assists in Wednesday's 6-3 win in Detroit, giving him a career-high 83 on the season and moving him within six of Washington's Alex Ovechkin for the NHL scoring lead. Sedin, the NHL's most prolific scorer in January, had been held without a point in six of his previous eight games -- and in three of four Olympic contests with Sweden -- before breaking out against the Red Wings. Twin brother Daniel had three assists, and linemate Alex Burrows score a key early goal. --C Ryan Kesler picked up where he left off at the Olympics. Kesler, a force for the Americans throughout the two-week tournament, including a key goal against Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss in the gold-medal game, set up the overtime winner in Columbus on Tuesday and scored twice in Detroit on Wednesday, extending his NHL point streak to seven games. --G Roberto Luongo was back in goal Wednesday, just three days after winning four elimination games in only six nights to clinch a gold medal for Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. --C Kyle Wellwood's third-line pivot job appeared to be on the line at the trade deadline, but he responded wiht a goal and an assist Tuesday night in Columbus, easily his best game in recent memory. After surviving the trade deadline Wednesday without the addition of another third-line center, Wellwood got off to a slow start in Detroit on Wednesday. He was on the ice -- and out of position on the first two Detroit goals -- but made up for it with a pretty breakaway goal seven minutes into the second period that put the Canucks ahead for good. --RW Alex Burrows followed up his goal in Columbus Tuesday with another in Detroit on Wednesday. That gives him 28 for the season, matching the career high he set last season. It's a remarkable total for an undrafted former ECHL player, especially since he struggled to score early while regular linemate Daniel Sedin was injured. Burrows already has 18 goals in the second half of the NHL season, second only to Pittsburgh Pengiuns superstar Sidney Crosby in that department. --RW Pavol Demitra is picking up where he left off after leading the 2010 Olympics in scoring with 10 points in seven games for Slovakia. After being rewarded by the Canucks with a spot on the second line and the point of the first power play, Demitra scored just his second goal of the season (he has played 13 games) Tuesday in Columbus, then added his fourth assist in Detroit on Wednesday. --D Brad Lukowich was assigned to Manitoba Wednesday after clearing waivers, a move that helped clear salary cap space for the addition of fellow blueliner Andrew Alberts from Carolina before Wednesday's trade deadline. Lukowich, who started the season in the AHL, could be recalled in place of a journeyman like Nolan Baumgartner or even Aaron Rome. That will also depend on the impending return of Kevin Bieksa, who is skating with the team after lacerating ankle tendons Dec. 29. MEDICAL WATCH: --RW Steve Bernier returned to Vancouver on Wednesday to see a specialist about his groin, according to the team. Dropped to the fourth line Tuesday in Columbus, Bernier reportedly took the morning skate in Detroit on Wednesday before grabbing a flight to Vancouver. He was replaced by Rick Rypien. --D Willie Mitchell remains out with a concussion suffered after being knocked face first into the boards on Jan. 16. He then suffered a late February setback while exercising, still hasn't resumed skating and could be out all season. --D Kevin Bieksa has resumed skating with the team after severing tendons in his ankle on Dec. 29, requiring surgery, and he could be back in the Canucks' lineup before the end of their current six-game, nine-night road trip. --C Alexandre Bolduc is out for the season after re-injuring his shoulder during a Jan. 13 fight.

ROSTER REPORT

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:10:57 GMT

GOALTENDERS: Andrew Raycroft, Roberto Luongo. DEFENSEMEN: Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo, Shane O'Brien, Alexander Edler, Aaron Rome, Nolan Baumgartner. FIRST LINE: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows. SECOND LINE: Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Pavol Demitra. THIRD LINE: Tanner Glass, Kyle Wellwood, Mikael Samuelsson. FOURTH LINE: Darcy Hordichuk, Ryan Johnson, Steve Bernier. PLAYER NOTES: --D Brad Lukowich was placed on waivers just in case the Canucks need to dump his $1.8 million salary to clear room for a trade addition before Wednesday's deadline. If they don't need to clear the cap room, Lukowich will be recalled. Nolan Baumgartner, who was called up from Manitoba Sunday, took Lukowich's place in the lineup Tuesday. --C Ryan Johnson was a healthy scratch the last four games before the Olympic break but got back in the lineup Tuesday in Columbus after using the two weeks off to heal fractures in both his feet. It's not the first time Johnson's play has suffered because he tried to play through pain. A broken foot slowed him significantly last season. --C Ryan Kesler picked up where he left off at the Olympics. Kesler, who was a force for the Americans throughout the two-week tournament, including a key goal against Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss in the gold-medal game, helped set up Christian Ehrhoff's overtime winner in Columbus Tuesday, extending his NHL point streak to six games. --C Henrik Sedin was held without a point for the sixth time in his last eight NHL games in Columbus after also going without a point in three of four games for Sweden at the Olympics. After leading the league in scoring through the end of a dominant January, his top line has stalled, with Sedin falling nine points behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin. --RW Pavol Demitra was an Olympic All-Star for Slovakia, leading the tournament in scoring with 10 points in seven games. His reward from the Canucks was a move from the fourth to the second line Tuesday in Columbus, as well as to the point on the first power-play unit. Demitra, who missed the first 47 games, responded by scoring a pretty goal. --G Roberto Luongo was the only one of the Canucks' seven Olympians to sit out in Columbus, getting a much-deserved break after winning four straight elimination games in just six days to clinch a gold medal for Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Backup Andrew Raycroft made his second straight NHL start -- separated by two weeks -- and got his second straight comeback win in Columbus and continues to play well. But Luongo will be back in goal Wednesday in Detroit. --C Rick Rypien and RW Jannik Hansen were both healthy scratches Tuesday in Columbus. MEDICAL WATCH: --D Willie Mitchell remains out with a concussion suffered after being knocked face first into the boards on Jan. 16, and after suffering a late-February setback while exercising, still hasn't resumed skating and could be out all season. --D Kevin Bieksa has resumed skating with the team after severing tendons in his ankle on Dec. 29, requiring surgery, and he could be back in the Canucks' lineup before the end of their current six-game, nine-night trip. --C Alexandre Bolduc remains out indefinitely after reinjuring his shoulder during an ill-advised fight Jan. 13.

ROSTER REPORT

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:40:47 GMT

GOALTENDERS: Roberto Luongo, Andrew Raycroft. DEFENSEMEN: Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo, Shane O'Brien, Alexander Edler, Aaron Rome, Nolan Baumgartner. FIRST LINE: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows. SECOND LINE: Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Mikael Samuelsson. THIRD LINE: Tanner Glass, Kyle Wellwood, Steve Bernier. FOURTH LINE: Darcy Hordichuk, Pavol Demitra, Rick Rypien. PLAYER NOTES: --RW Pavol Demitra rejoined the Canucks in Minnesota on Valentine's Day after missing three games to return to Vancouver and check on his wife following a health scare, but he wasn't getting much love from Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. Demitra, who was just 10 games into his return from an eight-month shoulder injury before leaving the team, was dropped to the fourth line alongside stone-handed tough guys Darcy Hordichuk and Rick Rypien. It's hardly the role envisioned for a point-a-game forward signed to a two-year, $8-million as a skilled free-agent forward two summers ago. Head coach Alain Vigneault said it was because he liked the recent work of Tanner Glass, Kyle Wellwood and Steve Bernier on the third line. But Demitra scored his first goal and added the shootout winner in his final game before leaving after his wife was sent to hospital because of a bad reaction to prescription medication, recorded assists in each of the two previous contests, and appeared to be providing the offensive spark that third line has been missing all season. --G Andrew Raycroft made four appearances -- and two starts -- during the first eight games of the Canucks' NHL-record 14-game road trip after only playing 10 minutes over almost two months prior to that. For the most part Raycroft has played well in spot duty behind star No.1 Roberto Luongo, recording his 100th career victory in comeback win over Columbus in that second start to improve to 5-4-0 with a more-than respectable .912 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average this season. The Canucks may need to keep using their backup goalie a lot more often during the stretch drive, especially with six road game in just nine nights, including a pair of back-to-back games, in early March and Luongo pulled three times in the last 13 starts. --C Ryan Kesler began the Canucks' 14-game Olympic road trip answering a lot of questions about his struggles out of the suitcase. After a tough minus-2 outing in Ottawa on Feb. 4, Kesler was plus-13 with 35 points at home and minus-12 with 14 points on the road. But Kesler had points in five straight and seven of the first eight games of that long roadie. With 54 this season, he is just five shy of the career-best set last year as a Selke Trophy finalist. "Kes has been working really hard every shift and it's rubbed off on linemates (Mason Raymond and Mikael Samuelsson)," said head coach Alain Vigneault. --C Ryan Johnson has been a healthy scratch four straight games, and while the shot-blocking, penalty-killing specialist is still wearing a walking cast off the ice from an earlier broken foot, head coach Alain Vigneault has said the move to the press box was his decision. MEDICAL WATCH: --D Willie Mitchell remains out with a concussion suffered after being knocked face first into the boards on Jan. 16, and still hasn't resumed skating. --D Kevin Bieksa severed tendons in his ankle on Dec. 29 and required surgery but still isn't expected back until sometime in March, perhaps late. --C Alexandre Bolduc remains out indefinitely after re-injuring his shoulder during an ill-advised fight against a much bigger opponent Jan. 13.

Canucks 4, Predators 2

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:59:18 GMT