The Vancouver Canucks embark on an NHL record 14-game road trip sandwiched around the Olympic break, and their first stop is the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
The Canucks hit the road for the next six weeks as Olympic organizers take over General Motors Place for the Vancouver Winter Games which open on Feb. 12 and not return home until a March 13 date with the Ottawa Senators.
They enter Saturday's contest with some momentum, winning six-straight games - the longest in three years. They lead the NHL with 23 home victories, are atop the Northwest Division and rank third in the Western Conference.
''We want to get off to a good start at the beginning of a long road trip here and it's a fun building to play in and I think guys are looking forward to it,'' forward Mason Raymond told CanucksTV.
Vancouver has been impressive on the road over its last 10 games, winning six of them and collecting points in seven. But the road trip ahead will begin without the services of Willie Mitchell, who stayed in Vancouver with a concussion, and Kevin Bieksa, who is weeks from playing. Defenceman Sami Salo flew with the Canucks and hopes to play against the Maple Leafs.
At the other end of the contest are the Maple Leafs, a team that is losing ground in an attempt to stay in the Eastern Conference race.
Falling to the New Jersey Devils on Friday evening, the Leafs have lost five straight and 10 of its last 11 games and come into Saturday's contest just one point ahead of Carolina for last place in the Eastern Conference.
''We have to battle harder and get more pucks on the net,'' said Toronto defenceman Tomas Kaberle. ''That has been our problem lately, getting pucks on net and getting good chances. We also have to eliminate the mistakes in the neutral zone and our own end.''
Following Saturday's game, the Maple Leafs have a few days off before a rematch with the Devils at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday.
