Harry How
UPDATE: Scratch everything below, except the part about needing to impress Hart voters. Daniel Sedin's wife gave birth to a baby girl Tuesday, and the Canucks left winger will play in Detroit. Mom and baby are healthy and happy, according to Canucks GM Mike Gillis.
NHL scoring leader Daniel Sedin has stayed behind in Vancouver rather than travel with the team to Detroit for Wednesday's Western Conference showdown between the Canucks and Red Wings.
Sedin's wife is due to give birth, and the winger may miss the game at Joe Louis Arena. He has a seven-point lead over his brother Henrik and Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos for the Art Ross Trophy, but skipping this game could cost Sedin in another area.
It's a nationally-televised game between the two best teams in the West, and Hart Trophy ballots will soon be distributed. Despite Henrik's winning last year, it is still true that the Canucks often play their games when many eastern voters have gone to bed, and Vancouver is by no means a fixture on U.S. television.
At least one voter doesn't even have Daniel Sedin in his top three, suggesting that the Canucks forward could sure use every point, and every stage, to make his case.