canuckfaninT.O.

Ouch! After all the positive things that went right for the Canucks in Game 1, a letdown had to be expected. We couldn't dominate the Hawks for 2 straight, could we? I mean, they're not L.A. That said, after the early goal and its follow up, it looked as though maybe we could sneak out of Chicago with a second road win. Alas, the boys let opportunity slip through their fingers. We couldn't match the intensity of the Hawks who were playing a desperate brand of hockey to match their situation. The Hawks out-hustled us, they out-muscled us, they out-hit us, they out-shot us, they out-chanced us - the Hawks just plain outplayed us. Kudos to them. Now we have a series. First, the good. Lui was rock solid. He kept the score much closer than the game play warranted. I like the way Wellwood is playing - he is working really hard and not making too many mistakes. Yes, I realize he was -2 but he wasn't solely responsible. Kesler is playing like a strong Selke finalist - good at both ends, no, very good. My next jersey will have 17 on the back. The bad. Our D did not play the same style as they did in Game 1. They were flat-footed, chasing the Hawk forwards, and not physical at all. Those forwards are very fast and left our guys in the dust. The best play by our D today was when Alberts stayed on the bench (avoiding a too many men penalty) when Edler changed his mind on a change. The ugly. Sadly, the goat horns tonight go to Kevin Bieksa(sorry to all lovers of number 3). Some are suggesting Ehrhoff on the PP pinch; I can forgive a bad bounce. Bieksa was way too casual when clearing the puck on the first goal. He should have been credited with an assist. That puck needs to be cleared with authority. A rebound lying around in that area can't be feathered into the slot. That goal is Bieksa's. The GWG was also on Bieksa's watch. I realize that we were all over the place and things were hectic. However, when you slide to block a shot, you can't be late and you have to take away the lane. Both times he slid, he was late and (obviously on the goal) didn't block the lane. If he stays on his feet, he may have been there, taking his man or maybe just getting a stick in the way to deflect. We will never know. OK. Enough rehashing. The bitter taste will be washed away by a home win Wednesday. Here's a thought for you. Only one team has beaten us twice at home this season. That bodes well for a team with 3 home games left in this series. The bad news is that only one team has beaten Chicago twice at home this season (although I guess we technically became team 2 with our win on Saturday). The interesting tidbit in all of this (IMO) is that it is the same team who beat us both. That team is down 2-0 to San Jose. Until next time....

An impressive start to Round 2, boys. You were skating well, playing the body and showing incredible poise and patience. I particularly enjoyed watching the D play perhaps their strongest game of the playoffs. Goals from 4 lines, one goal against (on a 5 on 3, mind you). SOLID effort for a road game! I was more than a little worried about the way period 3 began. It reminded me a lot of the early games of the LA series and last year's CHI series. You stopped skating, started grabbing and taking penalties. That didn't cost us this game but will hurt down the road. Our PK has been playing great of late, but I still remember 50% PK through 1st 4 games of LA series. Last 3, PK has been almost 88% (14 of 16). Keep working hard, keep skating, keep the crease clear and your talent and depth will prevail.