2011 NHL Playoffs: Vancouver Canucks Defeat Predators, Advance to Western Finals

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators in six games to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1994.

To put that into perspective, in '94, they played the Toronto Maple Leafs—it's been an awfully long time since the Leafs were considered a western team.

Before the Canucks look ahead to the Western Conference Finals, let's first reflect on their win in the Nashville series.

First of all, hats off to the Nashville Predators.

The Preds showed the rest of the NHL that they have a great fanbase and made franchise history by advancing to the second round for the first time.

That being said, the Predators were fighting an uphill battle against a Canucks team that had a cap payroll of $62.9 million, while the Predators had a payroll of only $50.9 million.

(The Canucks exceeded the salary cap due to proration and LTIR exemptions.)

That $12 million difference is almost exactly the cap hit for Henrik and Daniel Sedin. 

While the Sedins didn't exactly light up the scoreboard, grabbing only two goals between them, their presence forced the Predators to deploy their best checkers and defence pairings against them.

This opened up room for Ryan Kesler, who took advantage of it to win the series almost single-handedly.

Kesler exploded offensively and scored five of the Canucks' 13 goals. Five of the other seven goals in the series that Kesler didn't score, he assisted.

Of the four game-winning goals for the Canucks, Kesler scored two and assisted on a third, scored by Daniel Sedin.

Nashville simply didn't have an answer for him.

If the Predators ever get the budget to spend to the cap ceiling, rather than hovering around the cap floor, the rest of the NHL had better look out.

Moving forward, the Canucks get the better part of a week to rest, as the next round won't start until the weekend.

These four or five days of rest should be greatly appreciated by a team that's been battered though a pair of physically challenging series against the Blackhawks and Predators. 

In particular, captain Henrik Sedin seems to be suffering from nagging injury that's hampering his play. Mikael Samuelsson also has a suspected groin injury and missed Game 6 as a result. Spending a couple of days away from the rink should help.

Whoever wins, both the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings would provide a stiff challenge, albeit in different ways.

The Sharks are bigger and more physical, while the Red Wings have more of a free-flowing skill game. 

While the Canucks have been running roughshod over their opponents physically (they lead the NHL in hits), playing Detroit might finally let the NHL's best offense open up.

On the other hand, if the Canucks continue playing as they have been, they could relish another tight, physical series if they play the Sharks.

After all, they did win the first two rounds by playing that way themselves.