Vancouver Canucks

My last comment in my previous article made reference to which Vancouver Canuck team would show up in Chicago. Well, it looked very similar to the one that played Game One— and won— there.

Maybe the Canucks should ask to play the remainder of the series in Chicago, since they've had their best games there.

Usually when a team is ousted from the playoffs, time and time again with a solid lineup, someone has to take the fall.

In the case of the Vancouver Canucks, it will likely be head coach Alain Vigneault. Because after all, Roberto Luongo is the best goaltender in the league.

Wait a minute.

When the team in question takes a three-game slide to the brink of elimination and gives up 16 goals over that period, you’ve got a problem—you’re not getting saves.

I thought I would sneak this in before the next game, now that the trash-talking has kicked into high gear with all the Chicago Blackhawk commentators railing against the Vancouver Canucks.

Thanks for participating guys, I knew you would bite.

If the Vancouver Canucks are really a Stanley Cup champion, they are now officially at the point where they'd better start showing it.

After their Game 3 drubbing at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night to fall behind 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinal best-of-seven series, the Canucks have hit the crisis point, as all of the elements that showed themselves in last year's second round match against the same Chicago team, are back.

This is an easy game to write about.

Let’s see here, out of nine periods so far in this series, the Vancouver Canucks have outplayed the Chicago Blackhawks in seven of them, but when you go 0-for-8 on the power play, and your penalty kill and goaltender don’t shut the door, you’ll never win a series five-on-five.

Sorry this is a bit late, but the golf tournament yesterday had me getting home late and THEN I had to watch the game on tape.

At least I was able to watch a bit of the game during the dinner portion of the golf awards, so I knew it was 2-2 when I headed home.

After watching the game into the wee hours, a number of things stood out.

Heading into the Western Conference semifinals there were plenty of questions surrounding the Vancouver Canucks.

Could they match the tough physical game that the Chicago Blackhawks would surely bring to the table? Would Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo be able to bounce back from his horrific Game Six performance against the Hawks in last season’s semifinal? And, could the Canucks silence the critics, many of whom felt they would be overwhelmed by the Blackhawks in this series?

The only thing that was mad about that game, was the Chicago crowd towards its goalie Antti Niemi, who got lit up for five goals by the visiting Vancouver Canucks.

Nothing like a little motivating redemption to inspire a team after getting their noses wiped by the Blackhawks last year in Games Six and again on March 5, where both times Roberto Luongo was shelled.

In the first round of the NHL playoffs, while I only got 5/8 the series right: Boston, Detroit, Chicago, and Vancouver, and Pittsburgh, I was able to correctly guess the Vancouver and Boston series right on the nose with each ending in six games.

With that, comes the next round:

Eastern Conference (4) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Montreal

Speaking of the playoffs, the Canucks have only made it into the playoffs 24 times since its inception and only nine times to the second round.

Good news is that three out of the nine have occurred in the last four years.

This tells you that this group of players is close to getting past the second round, and who know how much further.