Manny Malhotra

My oh my, how things turn on a dime. Momentum. Energy. Confidence. A 31-save shutout for Roberto Luongo has put the Vancouver Canucks back in the driver’s seat.

Bobby Lou's Game 5 shutout is his fourth of the playoffs, after he posted goose eggs in Game 1 of the Chicago series, Game 1 of the Nashville series, and Game 1 of the Boston series.

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is tomorrow, and the Vancouver Canucks currently have a 1-0 lead against the Boston Bruins.

Both teams have a few players that can make or break their team this series, and if they play well, chances are, their team will too.

These are the X-factors that may or may not come through for each side.

In no particular order, here are ten important Vancouver Canucks to watch during the first round series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

These players are all key performers that will need to be clutch if the Canucks want to beat their hated Blackhawk rivals and continue on their quest to win the Stanley Cup.

With news yesterday that Vancouver Canucks faceoff phenom Manny Malhotra will miss the rest of the season and playoffs due to a puck in the eye, the forward depth of the league's best team took a large hit.  

Malhotra's value to the team cannot be measured. He is the league's second-best faceoff man, has been a large part in the Canucks' impressive penalty kill and is a big-body presence on the third line.  

VANCOUVER—The Canucks management brass made two deals right at the NHL trade deadline on Monday, Feb.28. 

The Canucks targeted two players who will come in and help their forward depth, two guys who are interchangeable in the bottom six role on the Canucks.

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 6-4 on Saturday night in a battle of division leaders.

Coincidentally, six is also the number of wins the Canucks have during their current winning streak, making them the hottest team in the league.

Every year there are dozens of trades and waiver-wire acquisitions in the NHL. Perhaps not as many as we would like come deadline day, but still plenty of activity.

Add to that the yearly frenzy to sign free agents on July 1, and there is significant roster movement in the NHL.

Here is a look at 10 players who changed teams in the past year and who would be in a position to help their former team this year... if they hadn't been shipped out of town. Hindsight is 20-20 after all.

 On Tuesday October 19th, Rick Rypien had a heated game. The Canucks were losing badly (5-1 at that point) to the Minnesota Wild, and Rypien had already been a fight. As he was being escorted off the ice back to the dressing room, he leans over the railing and shoves a Minnesota fan who was mocking him. 

There has been just under five months since the last time the Canucks played a game that counted. During the offseason, GM Mike Gillis had a mandate to analyze the team’s strengths and weaknesses, then bolster those problem areas.

There will be some roster moves to generate more wiggle room under the salary cap, but by the season opener vs the LA Kings on Saturday October 9th, the Canucks lineup should look like this:

Having just returned from Vancouver, I can tell you that the fans there are definitely optimistic about this team. Sickeningly optimistic, really—like optimistic enough to be planning the Stanley Cup parade route already. Fact is, they have every reason to be excited. They are the only legitimate contender in this division, and are perhaps the best team in the entire conference.