DETROIT – With back-to-back shutouts under his belt, Ryan Miller looks to extend the Vancouver Canucks' winning streak to four games when the club continues its season-high seven-game road trip against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.
Miller turned aside 20 shots in a 2-0 victory over New Jersey on Tuesday before making 31 saves in a 5-0 triumph over Columbus three days later to begin the trek.
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"He's made some tough saves look easy," Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins said. "We could be down two and we're always in it because of Miller's play."
Miller's shutout streak rests at 152 minutes, 5 seconds, but the 34-year-old Michigan native has struggled mightily versus Detroit with a 2-9-2 record and 3.37 goals-against average.
Like the Canucks, the Red Wings find themselves riding a three-game winning streak after rallying for a 5-4 shootout victory over the Devils on Friday. Detroit's impressive power play has aided its cause, scoring five times over the last three contests.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, CITY, TVA (Vancouver), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (16-6-1): Shawn Matthias has scored in back-to-back contests to double his season output and could entertain a little extra motivation against the Red Wings. Mattias was selected with a second-round draft pick by Detroit in 2006 but was traded to Florida in a deal that sent Todd Bertuzzi to the Red Wings.
"I just went to one training camp, that was it," Matthias told the Vancouver Sun. "It was fun going to camp there and skating along Pavel Datsyuk and against (captain Henrik) Zetterberg in camp. Datsyuk was my linemate at main camp, so it was pretty cool to skate next to him and see how good he really is. I was 18 years old and it was fun."
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (13-5-5): Defenseman Brendan Smith could return to the lineup Sunday following a five-game absence due to an infection in his hand.
"It's important to get Smitty back, get him playing like he can," coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press."He's a competitive guy, can really help you. I don't see him having a setback here. He'll be a little out of condition, but he'll come back and get going."
Fellow blue-liner Xavier Ouellet, who collected a goal and an assist in Smith's absence, is expected to be sent back to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League should the latter receive the go-ahead on Sunday morning.
OVERTIME
1. Vancouver LW Alex Burrows has scored in consecutive contests and four of his last six games.
2. Datsyuk has recorded 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 38 career meetings with the Canucks.
3. Vancouver is 0-for-7 on the power play in the last four games and 2-for-24 over the last nine.