2011 Stanley Cup Final: The Good, Bad and Biting Questions for Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks and their fans had waited 17 long years for Wednesday night.  17 years since they last had a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

With Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas putting on a goaltending clinic it looked as if they would have to wait 17 years to see a goal scored in the Stanley Cup.

Raffi Torres finally gave everyone in Rogers Arena a chance to exhale when he scored the game winning goal in the final seconds of the game.

The Vancouver Canucks are now only three wins away.

Whether or not they will get those three wins is still up for debate. When looking at last night's game, and forward to Saturday's Game 2, we find some good, some bad, and some lingering questions.

Roberto Luongo and the Good

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VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 01: Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks makes save against David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins during game one of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Rogers Arena on June 1, 2011 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett

The best player on the ice last night for Vancouver was Roberto Luongo.  The much maligned net-minder is quietly silencing critics while playing as well as he ever has.

Luongo posted a 36 save shut out last night and looked as calm as could be.  Gone was the flopping-around Luongo, or the Luongo who struggled to control the puck. In his place was a confident goaltender who never wavered and made every save seem routine.

There were some other positive signs.

The Sedins looked dangerous.  Although they didn't score, they were buzzing around and seemed on the verge of scoring all night.

If not for Thomas's heroics, the game might have been a rout.  Coming into the series one big question was whether Boston's physical defense could shut down the twins the way Nashville seemed to.

Last night suggested that the Sedins will have room in this series, and that could cost Boston.

The Canucks appeared faster and better in five on five situations as well.  The common story line before the game was that Boston was a great even strength team and could cause trouble for Vancouver.

The game was marred with penalty after penalty in the first two periods. When they finally got to play five on five hockey in the third, Vancouver took over.

They controlled the third period and only Thomas, and one cross-bar, kept the game from being decided earlier than it was.  If Vancouver can continue to cause Boston fits with their speed, they will be in good shape.

Alex Burrows and the Bad

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VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 01: Alex Burrows #14 of the Vancouver Canucks fights with Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins as Henrik Sedin #33 of the Vancouver Canucks and Zdeno Chara #33 of the Boston Bruins fight during game one of the 2011 NHL Stanley C

Vancouver took six penalties in the first two periods.  One was a double minor and another gave Boston over a minute and a half of 5 on 3 play.

The Canucks have to be more disciplined than that.  All year long they have thrived on being a disciplined hockey team.

Was it nervousness? Was it the referees trying to set the tone? Was it both?  Whatever the cause, Vancouver will have to stay out of the box if they wish to win the series.

In an ugly display at the end of the first period, Alex Burrows appeared to bite Patrice Bergeron's finger in a post buzzer scrum.  This is the kind of act the Canucks were supposed to have put in their rear-view mirror.

Burrows has to be smarter than that.

The Canucks also need to be better on the power play.  They were given as many chances as Boston was with the man advantage.

They ended 0 for the night on the power play, which is usually one of their strengths.  They need to make the Bruins pay when they take a penalty.

They also need to start shooting high on Tim Thomas.  Thomas is deadly when covering the bottom portion of the net which the Canucks seemed more than willing to give him.

When they shot high they had better chances, none more than Alex Edler's high shot that beat Thomas only to ring off the cross-bar. 

Hopefully after this one game they will have a better book on the outstanding Boston net-minder.

Dan Hamhuis and the Questions for Game 2

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VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 01: Milan Lucic #17 of the Boston Bruins gets flipped after being check by Dan Hamhuis #2 of the Vancouver Canucks during game one of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Rogers Arena on June 1, 2011 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Ri

In one of the most spectacular moments of the game, the Canucks' Dan Hamhuis hip-checked Boston's Milan Lucic, sending him head over skates. 

On the play Hamhuis injured himself and did not return to the game.  Losing Hamhuis for any length of time would be a big blow to the Canucks.

After the game, Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said Hamhuis was day-to-day. When asked again later, he said "he's fine".

If he can't go in Game 2, where will Vancouver turn? They have dealt with blue line injuries all year to the point where they have a lot of practice here. 

The most likely candidate to replace Hahmuis would be Keith Ballard who has played well when called upon this post-season.

On another note, will Alex Burrows get suspended?

One would guess that biting another player will warrant a suspension.  The video evidence seems to suggest that Burrows did bite down on Bergeron's finger in the scrum.

While it's not 100% sure-fire that he did, the NHL will most likely take a look at it.  If Burrows does have to sit a game the question remains, who will play with the Sedins in his place?

The most likely candidate would be Jannik Hansen, who played great last night and had a pretty assist on the game winner.

Finally, will Manny Malholtra make his return in Game 2?  If Burrows does sit and Malhotra is ready to go the Canucks may be fine.  Manny's return would also give the Canucks a huge emotional lift.

With a couple of days off there is plenty of time to have these questions answered.  

Game 2 is at 5 PM Pacific time on Saturday night.