<img src=" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">When Christian Ehrhoff scored in the first minute of the game to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead, you have to admit that you’d seen this story before, and not had it end well. Even after Kevin Bieksa doubled the score a few minutes later. Been there, done that, and still wondered how the hell they managed to lose. Thankfully, that didn’t happen this time.

People can complain all they want about the Canucks being the victims of a “conspiracy” to keep them out of the SCF because the NHL always wants the team the Canucks are facing to get through because it would be “better for the game”. Seems like the most likely ones to spout these theories? The mainstream media types, which gets the call-in regulars foaming.

Get over it. The league didn’t want the Kings to get through because it would be better for the game. They don’t want the Hawks to win because they’re a “team of destiny”. They don’t want the Sharks to advance because it’ll help them live up to their billing. Here’s what the league wants: the two teams that are able to advance to the SCF because they win when they need to. They can get it done. If that’s the Canucks, then great. If it’s someone else, well, that’s what next season is all about. What fans of other teams whine when things don’t go their way? (Leaf fans have a built-in excuse, so they don’t count).

Now, when things don’t get called that should, it’s not a conspiracy against the Canucks. It’s just incompetence on the part of the officials. Or did they really think that Shane O’Brien just spontaneously started spouting blood from between his eyes? Or that Daniel Sedin suddenly lost all feeling in both feet while he was skating?

Regardless. The Canucks responded exactly the way that they should have. They ignored it, and moved on. Kept playing their game, and got a very well-deserved win, to extend this thing to at least a sixth game. If the Canucks play their style, and get the Hawks to buy into it, they’ll win this series in seven games. But if they play the Hawks style, the way they did for games three and four, this thing won’t end well.

We’ll have to see who the Canucks insert into the lineup after Sami Salo went down with a scary looking injury. Sami has sat out for weeks with injuries that didn’t look nearly as bad as that one did. So it unfortunately looks like his year is done.

It’s both a good sign when your defensemen can get three of your team’s goals, and also a bad sign. Secondary scoring is good, but they have enough guys who get paid big bucks to put the puck in the net. They need to do so.

Tuesday night’s gonna be fun.

Go Canucks Go.

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