Sports Commentary
Dan Balmer
for the Ferndale Record
Vancouver Canuck fans chanted, “WE WANT THE CUP,” as confetti fell in Rogers Arena in Vancouver after Kevin Bieska scored the winning goal in double overtime to knock off the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Tuesday night’s game could not have been more exciting. Vancouver trailed 2-1 with 30 seconds left when Kesler won a crucial faceoff and scored off a rebound to tie the game with only 14 seconds remaining.
The Canucks are now four wins away from the greatest trophy in all of professional sports. The road to Lord Stanley’s Cup for Canuck fans has been adventurous to say the least. A different player has stepped up in each playoff round for Vancouver.
Vancouver came into the playoffs with the best regular season record and favored by analysts to win the Stanley Cup. All the pressure of Canada is behind the Canucks as they are the first Canadian team to reach the finals since the Calgary Flames in 2004. The last Canadian team to win the cup, the Montreal Canadians in 1993, did so one year before Vancouver last played in the finals.
Vancouver was tested early in the playoffs when they faced the defending 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, a team that has eliminated Vancouver the last two seasons. The Canucks won the first three games with ease, like a top seed should. Then the fun began. Chicago outscored Vancouver 16-5 in the next three games to tie the series and force a game seven. Goalie Roberto Luongo’s mental block against the Blackhawks continued as he was pulled in games four and five, and benched to start game six before being called to action to add to the drama.
Vancouver prevailed in game seven with a pressure-packed 2-1 overtime win. The final play is already iconic in team history. Forward Alex Burrows jumps up and intercepts the puck in the offensive zone, skates into the center ahead of defenders and blasts a quick slap shot over the shoulder of Chicago goalie Corey Crawford for the series wining goal, lifting a tremendous weight off the team and city in finally eliminating their playoff rivals. It was the kind of moment every championship season needs. If Vancouver is to win the Stanley Cup, they had to go through Chicago to deserve it.
In the next round, Vancouver met their match against a team sound in defense and goaltending, the Nashville Predators. In the end, Kesler carried the Canucks on his back, scoring five goals and dishing six assists in the series. One spectacular goal by Kesler demonstrated his speed, strength and desire when he took a breakaway in with the league’s best defender Predator Shea Weber on his back, scored and crashed into the net in a game five win. Vancouver scored early in game six with two goals and held on to reach the conference finals.
San Jose had just came off a grueling seven game series against the Detroit Red Wings, one the Sharks nearly let slip away as Vancouver did with the Chicago series. The Canucks outperformed the tired Sharks in the first two games to go up 2-0.
After San Jose won a physical game three, the turning point came in the second period of game four. Vancouver killed off five first period penalties before scoring three goals on three consecutive 5-on-3 power-play opportunities in a two-minute span in the second period. How demoralizing must it have been for Sharks fans to watch the Canucks score three power-play goals with ease in less than two minutes, when San Jose squandered 10 minutes on the man-advantage?
Henrik Sedin was at the top of his game with four assists in game four. He set up each power-play goal in the second period, one to Kesler and two to Sami Salo all in a playoff record 1 minute 55 seconds. The Sedins combined for seven points in the game and 15 points in the series. Vancouver won game four 4-2 and eliminated the Sharks in game five in front of their home fans who celebrated their entry into the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Canucks offense looks as good as any point this season. Henrik Sedin now leads the playoffs with 21 points, while Daniel Sedin is tied for the lead in goals with eight. Kesler has been stellar with seven goals and 12 assists in the playoffs, and Bieksa has elevated his play in the playoffs with five goals, big hits and pressure defense for the Canucks. In game two against the Sharks, he got a Gordie Howe hat-trick by scoring a goal, getting an assist and winning a fight.
As Vancouver prepares to battle either the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lighting of the cup, Vancouver’s depth will once again be put to the test. Will it they a Bruins team with stout defense and elite goal-tending, or the high scoring Lighting offensive attack? The great thing about Vancouver’s team is they can match up with any team and have success in controlling the game.
While all of Seattle sports teams’ track record in the playoffs is less than desirable, the Vancouver Canucks have the golden opportunity to rewrite team history. I have never been more excited for my team then I am right now. For me, this is bigger then the Supersonics against the Bulls in the NBA Finals or the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. A Canucks championship would be the single greatest feeling a fan like me will ever experience. Go Canucks Go!
*This column can also be found in the May 25 issue of the Ferndale Record. www.ferndalerecord.com
No comments:
Post a Comment