Vancouver Canucks

THE NHL PLAYOFFS SHOULD COME WITH THIS WARNING…
OBJECTS MAY APPEAR LARGER THAN THEY ARE!!!
HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND…HOCKEY FANS IN THIS CITY WERE “GIDY WITH EXCITEMENT”…
WHY NOT???
THE CANUCKS HAD JUST WON THE OPENING GAME OF THE PLAYOFFS…
THEN ON SATURDAY NIGHT…A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO GM PLACE…
THE L.A. KINGS SHOWED UP…
SUDDENLY ALL THAT “GIDDY” HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A SENSE OF “PANIC”…
NOW LET’S ALL TAKE A STEP BACK…TAKE A DEEP BREATH…AND CHILL OUT…
FOR THE RECORD…EVERY TEAM IN THESE PLAYOFFS…INCLUDING WASHINGTON AND CHICAGO HAVE LOST AT LEAST ONE GAME…
SO THERE’S THAT…
YES…THE SERIES IS NOW TIED AT 1 GAME A PIECE…
AND YES…THE CANUCKS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THEY HAVE NOT DONE VERY WELL THIS SEASON…
WIN ON THE ROAD…
BUT LET’S KEEP ALL THIS IN PERSPECTIVE…
TO START WITH…THIS IS ALSO THE SAME TEAM THAT BEFORE AND AFTER THE OLYMPICS WEATHERED A 14 GAME ROAD TRIP…
SECONDLY…TONIGHT THE PRESSURE IS ON THE HOME TEAM…
THE KINGS HAVE NOT HOSTED A PLAYOFF GAME IN 8 YEARS…
AND FINALLY…THE CANUCKS HAVE ADRESSED THEIR TWO MAJOR ISSUES…
THE FIRST IS PENALITES…
ANDREW ALBERTS HAS BEEN BENCHED…
ALBERTS LEADS THIS SERIES WITH 23 MINUTES IN PENALITES…
AND THE KINGS HAVE GONE 4 FOR 9 ON THE POWER PLAY…
ADD TO THAT…HEAD COACH ALAIN VIGNEAULT HAS DROPPED PAVOL DEMITRA TO THE 4TH LINE…
DEMITRA HAS BEEN THE INVISIBLE MAN…
THE SECOND LINE WILL NOW BE KESLER BETWEEN SAMMUELSON AND MASON RAYMOND…
THESE ARE THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WOULD GO UNNOTICED IN THE REGULAR SEASON…
BUT AT THIS TIME OF YEAR MAKE HEADLINES…
THE KEY GOING INTO THIS SERIES WAS ROBERTO LUONGO…AND THAT HAS NOT CHANGED…
SO FAR LUONGO HAS BEEN SOLID…
AS LONG AS THAT DOES NOT CHANGE…THE END OF THE SEASON IS NOT AS CLOSE…AS IT MAY APPEAR…