it’s been tough lately to be a canucks fan, but the road just got added a few extra bumps. the canucks have simply melted like the snow on cypress mountain during the olympics during round 2. game one of the second round seems like a distant memory. it seems like a small mistake of the blackhawks, rather than a huge showing by the vancouver hockey club. staring game two, the canucks fell apart. the bandwagon fans have since fell off and have turned into haters
the games have slowly gotten away from the canucks, and with every second their season is slowly coming to a very early end. inconsistent officiating in the playoffs has proven once again that the nhl has no desire for canadian teams to do well. however, the canucks are not making their life easier. while a good portion of the penalties taken are questionable, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of the power-plays they did obtain. their poor showing in goals for is simply horrible. they got away from their game and not are facing a huge climb back into this series.
what has gone wrong? well, they simply thought they can out hit chicago. however, that has not been their game plan the entire year. adaptation to a series is huge in the playoffs, and the team that can adapt faster will move on. the canucks have tried to adapt, but they are simply not playing smart. the ‘play from whistle to whistle’ exist for a reason in hockey. they are throwing punches at the hawks at the wrong times, and they are being called for them. to add insult to injury, the hawks are putting the puck in the net with every powerplay chance. something the kings did in the first round against the canucks.
to advance, they need to simplify their game. take the hits, if they are there. finish the checks, and stop the retaliation. stop the extra activities after the whistle. improve their penalty kill and take advantage of their chances on the powerplay. all sounds simple right? however, these are all things the canucks have done quite well this whole season. take the game back to basics, add a player in front of niemi and put the pucks on net. niemi has not been tested in the last two games. put more pucks on net, from everywhere and get players there to pick up the rebounds. take the series one a game-by-game basis, and simplify it. until the fourth loss is in the books…i still believe they can turn it around.
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