Vancouver Canucks Fail Stage One of the Litmus Test

Carrying on from my previous article (link) , I wrote that the Chicago game would be the first of the two stages of the litmus test, with the second being the Colorado Avalanche.

Stage one was to see how the 'Nucks measured up to a highly talented team with speed and toughness on the road, and a team they will have to go through if they want to go on to the second or third round.

Everyone witnessed how the 'Nucks failed in every department. It seems that Chicago has the book on Roberto Luongo, and knows that. By crashing the net and bumping him, they can upset his rhythm and get into his head. Luongo was upset and did not play well, while his teammates in front of him forgot to show up for the game, which makes for a losing combination.

The down low coverage was horrible, and try as they might, the Canucks only ran into penalty trouble when they tried to match the Hawks' physical play.

Andrew Alberts, the big defenseman they picked up from Carolina, proved to be a great addition, even if he was a minus player, because he led the team in hits with seven. I do not remember the last time a Canucks player got seven hits in a game.

Watch how Alberts plays the man in front of the net, which is physical and the rest of the D-men should be observing or taking lessons on how not to go fishing for the puck. He could be the shutdown, physical defenseman if Willie Mitchell does not return, especially matched up with the right partner.

All the 'Nucks showed up to take on the Hawks with their physical play except for the Sedins and Mikael Samuelsson. The Sedins not only where M.I.A., they looked very slow against the much speedier forwards. Henrik looked completely disinterested on a couple of goals he was on the ice for, waving at Kris Versteeg, as Versteeg sailed by him untouched in the high slot to score.

This is not the first time this has happened on this road trip and it should be a huge concern for 'Nucks fans when Henrik goes 10 games without a goal on the road. Yes, he finally scored last night against Nashville. But that was into an empty net, so I crossed that off. So make it 11 games and counting.

The true mark of your best players is on the road, as the matchup at home allows most to score. Speaking of the Canucks best players, you need to look no further than Ryan Kesler, by far their best player on the road.

So guess which forward led the 'Nucks in hits in Chicago? A player you just wouldn’t think, and it hasn’t been the first time either, in big, physical, meaningful games. I’m talking about Mason Raymond, with four. He just seems to like this type of game, and that speaks volumes of his character. Here we have one of the lighter players on the team throwing his body every chance he gets.

You want to know another player that seems to rise to the occasion with these types of games? Kyle Wellwood, who is even lighter than Raymond, also was rubbing 'Hawks out along the boards in the offensive zone along with Pavol Demitra of all people!

The next player I have been a vocal supporter of has recently not been playing the physical-type game you would think he could and has done in the past, which is a big disappointment. I’m speaking of Shane O’Brien. I am completely at a loss for words on why this guy doesn’t play with more edge.

The stage two test is tomorrow night in Colorado. These two tests are the closest you can come to playoff-type hockey and have ramifications down the road. The Blackhawks now know that they can run the 'Nucks out of the rink as they did in last season’s playoff Game Six and now just recently in the 6-3 rout.

Mentally, they’re the King of the Hill.

In Colorado we have a matchup that has many interesting facets. First of all it’s a four-pointer because the Avs are just two points behind the 'Nucks for first place in their division. And secondly, there is a good possibility that if the Avs don’t finish first in the NW Division, they could meet the Canucks in the first round of the playoffs. That would be the third- and sixth-seeded teams, respectfully.

You can bet that the game will be physical and it will be played with a lot of emotion, as the Avs attempt to set the tone for further games. The 'Nucks have always had trouble at Denver’s high elevation and this year’s version of the Avs is a tough team to play against with some very good young players.

Let’s see how the 'Nucks fare in test No. 2, game No. 13 of this history-making road trip...