NHL Playoffs 2011: 5 Things the Vancouver Canucks Must Do to Beat Chicago

The third time is the charm.  At least that's how the old saying goes. However, the recent history between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks would not be best described as "charming."

The teams seemed to maintain a healthy dislike for each other. It's the kind of dislike that a tough Stanley Cup playoff series always seems to help grow.

For the Canucks, the Blackhawks have become their playoff demon.  A demon that has ended promising runs, exposed weaknesses and seemed to reside permanently in the collective consciousness of their players and fans.

After last season's meltdown against Chicago, Vancouver looked to make some changes.

They realized that they allowed the Blackhawks to get under their skin, and eventually take them out of their game.

More interested in exacting revenge than in playing well, the Canucks embarrassed themselves and went meekly in six games.

This year is supposed to be different. 

The Canucks went out and beefed up their defense. They added some depth to their bottom six and tried to lessen the mental and physical load on Roberto Luongo.

In many ways, the Canucks were built this past offseason to beat the Chicago Blackhawks.

Well, now they get their chance.

Here are five things the Canucks must do to finally beat the 'Hawks.

1. Get Secondary Scoring

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - FEBRUARY 4: Ryan Kesler #17 of the Vancouver Canucks watches the shot of teammate Mikael Samuelsson slide past goalie Marty Turco #30 of the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period in NHL action on February 04, 2011 at Rogers Arena

Vancouver's top line is as good as it gets.  With the two reigning Art Ross trophy winners, there is plenty here for the Blackhawks to worry about.

Suffice it to say, the Sedin twins will see a healthy dose of Chicago's top defensive pairing. The Sedins will most likely find a way to find the back of the net, but for Vancouver to advance past the Blackhawks they need the second line to get going as well.

Ryan Kesler centers the second line and has had a career year so far.  He tallied 41 goals and is almost a lock to win his first Selke award this year.

He plays both ways, and is tough in front of the net. But he needs help.

The Canucks have struggled all year to find consistent wingers to compliment Kesler.They have tried Mikael Samuelsson, Mayson Raymond, Jeff Tambellini, Jannik Hansen, Raffi Torres and Chris Higgins at different times this year.

Since Higgins was acquired, the second line seems to have gelled best when he and Samuelsson are on Kesler's wings.

This line will need to produce for the Canucks to win.

2. Have an Effective Power Play

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - NOVEMBER 20: Goalie Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks makes a save while Daniel Sedin #22 looks for a rebound during the second period in NHL action on November 20, 2010 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver had the league's top power play during the regular season, and it will need to stay hot to beat Chicago.

In fact, this is one area they may be able to really take advantage of against the Blackhawks. Chicago was 25th in the NHL this year in killing off the man advantage.

That's not going to cut it against the Canucks.

If the Canucks can be aggressive and draw penalties, and then make the Blackhawks pay, they may even find an easy way through the first round.

Without scoring on the power play, they would allow the Blackhawks to be the aggressors.

This season, the Canucks' No. 1 power play line was its best.  With the Sedins swirling around the ice and Ryan Kesler parked in front of the net, they were (and are) dangerous.

The Blackhawks and goaltender Corey Crawford will have their hands full with this line and the Hawks will need to stay out of the box.

3. Stay Disciplined

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CHICAGO - MAY 09: Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks slips between Kevin Bieksa #3 and Christian Ehrhoff #5 of the Vancouver Canucks as they move to the puck in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playo

In the past two playoff series against Chicago, the Canucks lost any sense of discipline they might have had. Whether it was giving up seven goals in game six in 2009, or looking to pick fights last year they will need to stay focused this time around.

Discipline comes in two forms. 

One, mentally they need to not get goaded into penalties, or after-the-whistle shenanigans.

The Canucks have made discipline a high priority this season. Kesler stopped trying to be a pest and ended up becoming a goal-scoring, penalty-killing machine.  Even Alexandre Burrows has been less pest-y this season.

Secondly, the Canucks need to stay disciplined on defense. The past two losses against Chicago exposed a major lack of depth at the Canuck blue line.

They went out this year and changed that. They brought in Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard, and decided not to trade Kevin Bieksa.

That depth has been tested this year with a laughable amount of injuries, but as the regular season ended, the Canuck blue line appeared to be fully intact.

Those defensemen will need to be disciplined in order to contain Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.

If Vancouver isn't chasing the puck too much, they will beat the Blackhawks.

4. Keep Roberto Luongo Clean

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - NOVEMBER 20: Goalie Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to keep an eye on the play as Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks and Andrew Alberts #41 of the Canucks battle for position in front of the net during the fi

The Blackhawks have made Roberto Luongo look silly in the past two playoffs. 

As much as the whole team is hoping to slay a demon this year, nobody feels the pressure more than Luongo.

In both playoff series, the Blackhawks strategy was easy to spot. Get traffic in front of (and sometimes on top of) Roberto Luongo as often as possible.

The Blackhawks are without public enemy No. 1, Dustin Byfuglien, this time around and that in itself should help the Canuck goaltender.

The Canucks defense will have to keep the 'Hawks out of Luongo's way. If this series is a repeat of the last two, Vancouver will once again be left scratching their heads.

Roberto Luongo has had his best season as a pro in the regular season, and has a lot to prove. As much as the team is relying on him to carry them to the finals, he needs them to clear the road for him.

This will be a key matchup to watch for this series.

5. Protect the Home Ice

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GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 02: Fans of the Vancouver Canucks, Force and Sully, perform during the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on February 2, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Canucks defeated the Coyotes 6-0. (Photo by Christian P

Over the past three or four years, the Vancouver Canucks have been one of the league's best home teams. This year was no different as they went 27-9-5 in Rogers Arena.

With home ice in the first round, they will need to protect their serve.

In last year's match up with the Blackhawks they did not have home ice advantage, but came out and played a great road game to start the series, winning 5-1 in Chicago. They ended up winning two games in Chicago during the series.

Vancouver's fans were ecstatic as the Canucks seemed to have stolen home ice.  However, when the series shifted to Canada all the wheels fell off.

The Canucks lost all three home games in Vancouver in the Chicago series and in the end it cost them the series. Not only did they lose, but the games also weren't close and the Canucks looked like pee wees.

In fact, in the two rounds last year Vancouver was a surprising 2-4 on home ice, a performance they can not afford to repeat.

They will have a loud and raucous crowd on their side Wednesday night and they will need to send a message to the Blackhawks by winning the first two games. 

Do that, and it will signal to Chicago that this year is going to be different.