NHL Playoffs: Vancouver Canucks Stave Off Elimination in Chicago

My last comment in my previous article made reference to which Vancouver Canuck team would show up in Chicago. Well, it looked very similar to the one that played Game One— and won— there.

Maybe the Canucks should ask to play the remainder of the series in Chicago, since they've had their best games there.

They came to play Sunday night, and scored in the opening minute. They established the forecheck, won the one-on-one battles, and goalie Roberto Luongo and the special teams made sure the outcome was not going to be in question.

Luongo had his best game of the series, controlling the rebounds, battling through the Blackhawks screens and jostling, and led the rest of the team on staying composed.

You could see he was dialed-in early in the game, coming out to challenge the shooters, and letting the Canuck players in front take care of the puck.

This time it was the Canucks penalty kill that clutched up, and shutout the Blackhawks on the power play, and Vancouver again proved why they are the No. 1 team playing five-on-five hockey.

This time, it was the 'Hawks who lost their composure, taking seven penalties (Ben Eager, Dustin Byfuglien, and Marian Hossa with two each), and allowing the Canucks to not only take charge, but to turn one of those penalties into a power play goal.

The 'Hawks penalties allowed the Canucks to regain momentum whenever Chicago started to mount one, and that wasn’t very often.

Even when Chicago scored its only goal in the third period, the game was never in question, as the Canucks, playing now with five defensemen, dug deep and never sat back trying to protect the lead.

In the third period, Chicago had to settle with a paltry eight shots, which was matched by the Canucks.

Kevin Bieksa put in an all-star performance with a three-point night, and played his best game of the playoffs, scoring two goals.

His first goal came off the rush as he jumped into the play, beating the defenseman and converting a great setup by Kyle Wellwood. 

The goal was key, as it made the score 2-0 in the first period.

With the Canucks being down to five D-men, Bieksa's defensive zone coverage and compete for the puck was what the doctor ordered.

This game looked very similar to Game One in Chicago, and once again quieted the crowd in the MadHouse.

Wellwood, the diminutive player with the golden touch, had two assists and seemed to always come out of the scrum with the puck in both zones.

Another key factor in the game was in the faceoff circle, where Vancouver won 58 percent of the drops, which meant Chicago was constantly chasing the Canucks.

Ryan Johnson was through the roof at 89 percent, and Henrik Sedin was a solid 63 percent.

As this series heads back to Vancouver for Game Six on Tuesday night with the Blackhawks up 3-2, Chicago should be licking their chops as they have played as well in Vancouver, as the Canucks in Chicago.

This has been one strange series in that respect— so much for home-ice advantage.

Can the Canucks turn this around and bring it back to Chicago? It really depends on Luongo and the penalty kill.

If they can, well, anything can happen in a Game Seven, with the pressure being squarely on Chicago at home—e specially after having been up 3-1 in the series.