Sundin Shines Brightly in Win Over Blackhawks

Momentum is a funny intangible in sports, and it comes and goes at the most peculiar time for most franchises. Case in point: the Vancouver Canucks, who just dropped their eighth straight hockey game a week ago and looked like anything but contenders with Luongo and Sundin on the team. However, out of nowhere, they've emerged like world beaters after clawing out a win against the Hurricanes and dominating the Blackhawks 7-3 on Saturday.

This was by far the best and most complete game the Canucks played all season as they dominated Chicago from start to finish. Coming into the game, the Hawks had an 11-0 record against Canadian teams this season.

But that came to a screeching halt Saturday as the Canucks scored early and often at GM Place. They got things going early with a goal from Henrik Sedin in the first minute of the game and never looked back. Sundin and Kessler added goals later in the period; the two of them have been dynamite together since being put on a line with Pavol Demitra. 

A three-goal lead after the first chased Christobal Huet from the Hawks goal. However, Khabibulin did not fare much better as Bernier, Daniel Sedin, and Edler all tacked on goals, giving the Canucks a 6-0 lead.

Kris Versteeg finally stopped the bleeding late in the second with a shorthanded goal on the breakaway. The Hawks came out in the third and did all they could, getting goals from Adam Burish and Havlat that cut the deficit in half, but it was ultimately too much on this night.

Kessler capped the game off with his second of the night after Duncan Keith took an embarrassing tumble that put Kessler in all alone. He made no mistake and put the Canucks up 7-3. 

The best part of this performance was the special teams. The penalty kill was good but not great, allowing only one goal on five power plays for the Hawks. The breakthrough came on the power play, when the Canucks went 4-for-8 as Sundin had three points on the man advantage and Edler added a goal and three assists.

Also, Alain Vigneault, who fans were wanting to get fired just a week ago, suddenly looked like a genius when he put Sundin on a line with Demitra and Kessler. 

Following the game, Sundin weighed in on the dominating performance. "It was one of those games when our power play scored ... it felt like every time on the ice and the game was over," said Sundin, who scored once and drew two assists with 'Hawks in the penalty box.  

Kessler, who was equally impressive, was pleased with the bounces the team got. "We were doing all the right things," Kessler said. "It was just a matter of time when the puck was going to start going in the net. We got a couple of lucky bounces, but we'll take them." 

The win improves the Canucks to 24-20-8 on the season and moves them into seventh in the West—one point ahead of the Oilers and Wild, who play each other today. With his three point night, Sundin appears to finally be coming around after a slow start. He has five points in two games and eight in his 11 games so far this season. 

The Canucks now hit the road, hoping to continue the momentum as they embark on a three-game road trip and a critical stretch of the season. Vancouver will hit eight cities in the next 15 days as they hope to maintain their small lead in the Western Conference playoff picture.