VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks didn't wake up this morning and see their shadow on Groundhog Day.

Instead, they saw something pretty close to their shadow — tonight's opponents, the Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040).

The Canucks and Red Wings aren't just two of the NHL's top teams. They are in many respects very similar to one another.

"We both like to have the puck, we both like to keep control of it," Canucks associate coach Rick Bowness said after today's optional morning skate. "And we're both very highly entertaining teams when we have it.

"We have got very creative players on both sides and they can do magical things with the puck and it's going to be another very entertaining game. With the Wings, they always are. We have a tremendous amount of respect for that team. We hope they feel the same way about us."

The Wings and Canucks enter tonight's game ranked 1 and 2 in the NHL's Western Conference. It is the third meeting of the season between the teams, who split the first two games. The Wings won 2-0 Oct. 13 at Joe Louis Arena, while the Canucks beat Detroit 4-2 on Dec. 21 at Rogers Arena, despite the fact they were outshot 40-25 by the Wings.

"There is a lot of skill on both teams and it makes for some real exciting end-to-end action," said Vancouver defenceman Dan Hamhuis. "Both teams are committed to defence and have got great goaltending. We just seem to have really good games."

Hamhuis saw lots of the Wings as a member of the Nashville Predators.

"Detroit was Nashville's biggest rival so I have always enjoyed playing them. There was a good buzz in Nashville every time we played. They are a fun team to play against, they are really challenging. They have got some really good players on that side who are challenging defensively."

Canucks captain Henrik Sedin had a simple explanation for why Vancouver-Detroit games are usually so entertaining.

"A lot of Swedes," Henrik said with a smile, before adding, "I think we like to play the same way. Both teams are good defensively but we play defence maybe a little different than Nashville or Minnesota. Both teams have got guys who can score so it makes for fun games."

The Canucks enter tonight's game riding a three-game winning streak. The Wings, who beat the Flames 3-1 in Calgary on Tuesday night, have won eight of their last nine games.

Centre Pavel Datsyuk, regarded by some as the best all-round player in the NHL, is having a terrific season for the Wings. He has 14 goals, 53 points and with 68 takeaways shares the NHL lead with Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.

"He is a very special player," Hamhuis said of Datsyuk. "The way he sees the ice, he is so strong on his skates, he's very good defensively, his takeaway numbers are amazing. He doesn't just take the puck away, he goes the other way with the puck. His skill set, his creativity with the puck, is probably one of the best out there."

The Wings, who have been practically unbeatable at home, have been rather ordinary on the road. They enter tonight's game with a road record of 14-14-0.

"We have been talking about it a lot, we want to play better on the road," said Detroit winger Henrik Zetterberg. "We have been probably better than we thought at home. We got a good start after the break against Calgary and we have a challenge here tonight.

"These are two good teams. They play a fun style of hockey. We look forward to these games and I'm pretty sure they are, too. For the fans, usually there's a lot of scoring chances."

• PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard already has 31 wins and has a chance to challenge Martin Brodeur's NHL record of 48.

Vancouver centre Cody Hodgson had six goals and 10 points in 11 games last month and today was named January's NHL rookie of the month.

• INJURIES:

The Canucks are without forwards Andrew Ebbett (foot) and Aaron Volpatti (shoulder).

The Wings are without winger Patrick Eaves (fractured jaw).

ICE CHIPS: Roberto Luongo will start in goal for the Canucks … Vancouver starts a four-game road trip Saturday afternoon in Denver against the Colorado Avlanche … Detroit winger and former Canuck Todd Bertuzzi celebrates his 37th birthday today.

bziemer@vancouversun.com

On Twitter: Twitter.com/bradziemer

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