Ann 2The second rounf of the playoffs got under way in the Western Conference last night with the Vancouver Canucks meeting the Chicago Blackhawks.
Right from the opening period, it was obvious that rust wasn't going to be a factor for the Canucks who had swept the St. Louis Blues nine days earlier. Indeed, right from the face-off, they were fast aggressive, and tried to intimidate the young Chicago team. Against such adversity, the Hawks were quickly suckered into taking penalties and the Canucks capitalized on their third powerplay to open the score. That penalty was a stupid mistake from defenseman Duncan Keith who tripped a Canucks forward just ten seconds after the Hawks had killed a four-minute penalty for high-sticking. Keith's infraction meant that the penalty-killers would end up playing shorthanded for six minutes straight. In that situation, it's no surprise that the Canucks ended up scoring via Pavol Demitra.
Vancouver scored two more goals in the second period: one via Henrik Sedin early in the period, and the other via Ryan Kesler with five minutes remaining. The young Blackwhawks couldn't get momentum on their side because after each of the 'Nucks goal, they ended up taking a penalty – one for roughing and another double-minor for high-sticking. After 40 minutes of play, the Canucks were in full control of the game and with Luongo between the pipes, a victory was the logical conclusion.
Patrick Kane put a dent in the home team's plans as he scored the Hawks' first goal one minute into the third period. At 3-1, with a bit over 18 minutes left to play, anything was still possible. The visitors' relentless pressure and aggressive playing style quickly got into the Canuks' heads, especially Darcy Hordichuk's who picked up a senseless penalty in the offensive zone because he was trying to get revenge on a previous hit. It was Chicago's third powerplay of the night, and Kane once again brought his team closer to the unthinkable with his second of the game. Four minutes later, Dave Bolland made it 3-3 and both teams were back at square one.
Unfortunately, this is where Chicago's inexperience came into play. Filled with the adrenaline that comes with a near-impossible feat, the Hawks kept pushing and pushing as if the score was still 3-2 while the Canucks calmly regained their focus, mainly concentrating on giving up another goal. In their incessant will to attack, the Blackhawks completely forgot about defense. With two minutes left on the clock, Matt Walker was the only defenseman facing an oncoming rush of four Canucks players. He managed to eliminate one passing option, Khabibulin stopped the initial shot but there was no one there to stop Sami Salo from pouncing on the rebound, giving the lead back to the Canucks. One minute later, Ryan Johnson scored on the empty net to conclude the first game – a 5-3 win for the Vancouver Canucks.
Although the Chicago Blackhawks are the ones who were dealt a painful lesson last night, they can take solace in the fact that they able to come back from three goals down. Also, if they hadn't spent as much as half a period in the penalty box, there's no telling how the game would have turned. As for the Canucks, they got the win but they now know that a comfortable lead doesn't exist. As such, they have to take care of every opportunity presented to them. Their over-passing on the powerplay at the end of the second period could have proved to be their downfall. Luckily, they escaped that one and got the win.
My 3 Stars:
3. Kyle Wellwood
2. Patrick Kane
1. Sami Salo
Right from the opening period, it was obvious that rust wasn't going to be a factor for the Canucks who had swept the St. Louis Blues nine days earlier. Indeed, right from the face-off, they were fast aggressive, and tried to intimidate the young Chicago team. Against such adversity, the Hawks were quickly suckered into taking penalties and the Canucks capitalized on their third powerplay to open the score. That penalty was a stupid mistake from defenseman Duncan Keith who tripped a Canucks forward just ten seconds after the Hawks had killed a four-minute penalty for high-sticking. Keith's infraction meant that the penalty-killers would end up playing shorthanded for six minutes straight. In that situation, it's no surprise that the Canucks ended up scoring via Pavol Demitra.
Vancouver scored two more goals in the second period: one via Henrik Sedin early in the period, and the other via Ryan Kesler with five minutes remaining. The young Blackwhawks couldn't get momentum on their side because after each of the 'Nucks goal, they ended up taking a penalty – one for roughing and another double-minor for high-sticking. After 40 minutes of play, the Canucks were in full control of the game and with Luongo between the pipes, a victory was the logical conclusion.
Patrick Kane put a dent in the home team's plans as he scored the Hawks' first goal one minute into the third period. At 3-1, with a bit over 18 minutes left to play, anything was still possible. The visitors' relentless pressure and aggressive playing style quickly got into the Canuks' heads, especially Darcy Hordichuk's who picked up a senseless penalty in the offensive zone because he was trying to get revenge on a previous hit. It was Chicago's third powerplay of the night, and Kane once again brought his team closer to the unthinkable with his second of the game. Four minutes later, Dave Bolland made it 3-3 and both teams were back at square one.
Unfortunately, this is where Chicago's inexperience came into play. Filled with the adrenaline that comes with a near-impossible feat, the Hawks kept pushing and pushing as if the score was still 3-2 while the Canucks calmly regained their focus, mainly concentrating on giving up another goal. In their incessant will to attack, the Blackhawks completely forgot about defense. With two minutes left on the clock, Matt Walker was the only defenseman facing an oncoming rush of four Canucks players. He managed to eliminate one passing option, Khabibulin stopped the initial shot but there was no one there to stop Sami Salo from pouncing on the rebound, giving the lead back to the Canucks. One minute later, Ryan Johnson scored on the empty net to conclude the first game – a 5-3 win for the Vancouver Canucks.
Although the Chicago Blackhawks are the ones who were dealt a painful lesson last night, they can take solace in the fact that they able to come back from three goals down. Also, if they hadn't spent as much as half a period in the penalty box, there's no telling how the game would have turned. As for the Canucks, they got the win but they now know that a comfortable lead doesn't exist. As such, they have to take care of every opportunity presented to them. Their over-passing on the powerplay at the end of the second period could have proved to be their downfall. Luckily, they escaped that one and got the win.
My 3 Stars:
3. Kyle Wellwood
2. Patrick Kane
1. Sami Salo
| 65 |
| Vote |
Comments (2)
Add Comments
