Vancouver Canucks Playoffs: Who Was That No. 23?

Sure, just when I need a good action shot from the game, they don't have any. So imagine it's the LA Kings uniform instead of Minnesota because this picture explains the great body checks.

Just exactly who was that playing in the No. 23 jersey for the Canucks last night? Could it have been Kevin Bieksa filtered into Alex Edler’s jersey?

This guy played defensive positional hockey like Nick Lidstrom and had the meanness of Chris Pronger.

After ripping No. 23 for the Canucks, hereafter know as Alex Edler, since he arrived on the scene, I did a double-take last night as I watched him lay on the body and by the six minute mark of the first period, had already registered four solid body checks.

I’m not talking about the kind where he rubs someone out along the boards as in past games. No, these were rock’em-sock’em-type hits.

Last night, Edler finished with an official hit total of six, but if you were watching closely, whoever does those stats missed a few more.

Ryan Smith, Anze Kopitar, and my favourite Drew Doughty, just to name a few, definitely were introduced to the shoulder of Alex Edler and the fans ate it up.

If Edler had caught Doughty with a complete check as he cut to the net, Drew would have been seeing the tweedy birds for the rest of the night.

Edler had more hits in one period than he has in most entire games. Not only was he leading the Canucks in hits, he made some defensive jewels that had most people (me included) in disbelief.

On one play when Kopitar had Roberto Luongo down and out, swimming for his life and had the whole net to shoot at, Edler who was checking him, stayed with Kopitar and forced him wide enough to take the shot away.

Goal saved, advantage Edler.

On some other plays he was using that stick checking, that I have wailed about as being a weak effort, to break up plays, taking the puck away and head manning it to a breaking Canuck going the other way.

A number of times Edler jumped into the offensive rush and created chaos in the opposition end instead of vice versa.

If only this can continue, do I dare say it, he might be a more mobile and offensively-gifted Willie Mitchell, shutdown type of guy. At least for this series.

Hats off to Alex Edler for his best game of the year and when it counted the most.

One of the key players that I wrote about in my last article (The Key Players for the Canucks) Mikael Samuelsson, finally broke out.

Since he had returned to the lineup just before the playoffs started, he had hit no less than five goal posts and I figured Mikey, being a streak player, is going to break out.

So the playoffs would be the perfect timing.

Like I said before, he plays with some grit (Come on Cherry you gotta like this Swede), finishes his checks, and you know he will shoot. He will shoot from anywhere in the offensive zone and last night he dialed seven shots on goal, with two of those ripping the net, with the final one being the OT winner.

Roberto Luongo didn’t have a lot of work, was good enough, and when he had to, was great! The sweeping glove save off the goal line with his stick stuck underneath his right skate, preserved the tie and allowed the 'Nucks the opportunity to win.

Go ahead you sports fans out there. Take the goal stick, slide it through the opening in the skate blade, and trying moving. Impressive Lou, truly impressive!

Christian Ehrhoff had a horrendous night. I don’t care what anyone says. This guy was giving the puck away like the Shriner’s handing out balloons during a parade.

Yes, he was jumping up into the play and assisted on the winning goal, but his defensive zone coverage was not good. I must have missed something because someone from the Vancouver Sun or whoever does the picks, chose him as the third star last night.

Why? Because he played 30-plus minutes?

You're telling me that Alex Edler (not chosen as a star) did not have a better, more prominent game than Ehrhoff? Go figure.

Best player on the Kings team was obvious, as Jonathan Quick proved to everyone last night that his goaltending this season was not a mirage. The Canucks could have had a half a dozen goals with the chances they had.

Let’s see if he can follow that up on Saturday night when the crease starts to resemble Robson Street during the Olympics.