Canucks

Post all things [|Canucks] here during their playoff drive.


== 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs ==

Round 2 VS Vancouver Canucks Chicago Blackhawks

How They Match Up: __[|Team Page]__ | __[|Roster]__ | __[|Stats]__
 * [[image:http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20090404/nhlside_canucks_1186.jpg height="350" align="center"]] || ==VANCOUVER CANUCKS==

Regular Season Record: 45-27-10, 100 pts Head-to-Head Record: 2-2 Last Stanley Cup Win: None Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1994 Last Postseason Appearance: 2007 Players with Stanley Cup Rings: None

How They Got Here: The Canucks shook off a mid-season injury to all-world goaltender Roberto Luongo to finish the season to reach the 100-point plateau for the fifth time in franchise history, capturing the Northwest Division crown along the way. Their division title earned them the right to face a St. Louis Blues team that had not qualified for the post-season since 2004. Although the series was closer than it appeared, the Canucks swept the Blues in four straight, earning some valuable time off to rest their wounded warriors.

A Reason To Cheer For The Canucks: The Canucks present the best opportunity to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time in 16 years. They have terrific goaltending, a solid, gritty defensive unit and depth at forward. It would also be quite a spectacle to see the reaction of Maple Leafs fans if Mats Sundin captured the Cup after only half a season on the West Coast.

What They Bring To The Table: In Roberto Luongo, the Canucks have one of the top goaltenders on the planet. If his play in the first round is any indication then he is ready to take the next step in his career and lead a team to the Promised Land. ‘Bobby Lu’ is the type of netminder that can single-handedly win a playoff series by himself. He would also like to cement his position with the 2010 Canadian Olympic team by adding a successful post-season run to his resume. As great as Luongo is, the Canucks are far from a one-man show. They have a good balance of puck movers and bangers on the blue line and an extremely quick group of forwards. What they don’t have is anyone who has been there before, as not a single player on their roster has hoisted the Stanley Cup. That lack of experience could ultimately cost them in the long run. While several Canucks enjoyed breakout campaigns (Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Alex Edler), it was unknown how they would answer the bell in the post-season when everything becomes much more intense. Fortunately for the Canucks their young guns responded in a big way. The team must anticipate the level of competition being ratcheted up to an even higher level in the Conference semifinals. A real positive for the Canucks was the play of the Sedin brothers against the Blues. As they both approach unrestricted free agency, they will need to continue to elevate their games if they hope for the Canucks to make a deep run enabling them to receive maximum compensation come July 1. An average or - heaven forbid - poor performance could end up costing the twins millions in potential earnings. The future is now for the Canucks and the city is clearly ready for a deep playoff run reminiscent of 1994. ||

__[|Team Page]__ | __[|Roster]__ | __[|Stats]__
 * [[image:http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20090404/nhlside_blackhawks_1063.jpg height="350" align="center"]] || ==CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS==

Regular Season Record: 46-24-12, 104 pts Head-to-Head Record: 2-2 Last Stanley Cup Win: 1961 Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1992 Last Postseason Appearance: 2002 Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Andrew Ladd (1), Sammy Pahlsson (1), Nikolai Khabibulin (1)

How They Got Here: The Blackhawks won their first playoff series in 13 years by taking out the Flames, 4-2, in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals. Nikolai Khabibulin lived up to his "Bulin Wall" handle in the series, although looking shaky in the two contests at Pengrowth Saddledome in Game 4 and 5. The Blackhawks' power play unit was also the difference in the series as they scored seven times on 24 attempts.

A Reason To Cheer For The Blackhawks: The re-emergence of hockey as a major sporting presence in the past year in the Windy City has been nothing short of stunning. The once apathetic fan base has become re-vitalized, thanks in large part to John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz. In addition, the Hawks are an exciting young team that loves to attack with a pair of charismatic superstars in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

What They Bring To The Table: The transformation of the Blackhawks organization over the past year has been remarkable. The once cavernous United Centre is now packed to the rafters with rabid fans who have waited patiently for their team to return to respectability. The team on the ice has not disappointed, earning their first playoff berth in seven seasons. The Blackhawks can throw out a plethora of scoring options as Kane, Toews, Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg all broke the 20-goal barrier. Chicago gets plenty of offensive contributions from their blue line, thanks to the offensive instincts of Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith, Cam Barker and Dustin Byfuglien. Also working in the Hawks' favour is the fact that they have a playoff-tested goaltender in Nikolai Khabibulin, who captured the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. While the Blackhawks' youth movement is extremely talented, they are not exactly battle tested. The majority of their key players have little or no NHL playoff experience. The trade with the Ducks that saw Chicago acquire Sammy Pahlsson was a masterstroke as his valuable experience gained in Anaheim's Stanley Cup run will be crucial for the green Hawks. This does not appear to be a team that is ready to lift Lord Stanley's chalice, but they could be a very tough out. ||

- Vancouver ranked 17th in the league on the power play, with an 18.8% success rate. Chicago ranked 12th at 19.3%.
 * || ==Statistical keys to the series==

- Vancouver's power play ranks fifth in the playoffs, with a 22.2% success rate. Chicago ranks second at 29.2%.

- Vancouver ranked 16th in the league in penalty killing, with an 81.4% success rate. Chicago ranked 18th at 80.6%.

- Vancouver's penalty killing ranks second in the playoffs, with a 95.8% success rate. Chicago ranks fifth at 88.9%

- Steve Bernier (146), Kevin Bieksa (119) and Darcy Hordichuk (112) were the Canucks' leading hitters in the regular season.

- Ryan Kesler (12), Steve Bernier (8) and Alex Burrows (7) were the Canucks' leading hitters in the first round.

- Brent Seabrook (224), Dustin Byfuglien (169) and Troy Brouwer (125) were the Blackhawks' leading hitters in the regular season.

- Brent Seabrook (24), Dustin Byfuglien (23) and Andrew Ladd (17) were the Blackhawks' leading hitters in the first round.

- Kyle Wellwood was the Canucks' top face-off man in the regular season -- 57.5%. Ryan Johnson was best in Round One -- 61.8%.

- Jonathan Toews is the Blackhawks' top face-off man -- 54.7% in the regular season and 61.0% in Round One.

- Vancouver's Henrik Sedin ranked eighth in the league with 60 assists.

- Chicago's Kris Versteeg is tied for fifth in the playoffs with seven points.

- Chicago's Brent Seabrook and Kris Versteeg are tied for third in the playoffs with five assists.

- Chicago's Duncan Keith tied for fourth in the league at plus-33. Vancouver's Willie Mitchell and Chicago's Martin Havlat tied for ninth in the league at plus-29.

- St. Louis' Brad Boyes tied for fifth in the league with 16 power play goals.

- Vancouver's Alex Burrows and Chicago's Kris Versteeg tied for fourth in the league with four shorthanded goals.

- Vancouver's Henrik Sedin tied for seventh in the league with eight game-winning goals.

- Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin led the Canucks with six points in four games against the Blackhawks this year.

- Kris Versteeg led the Blackhawks with five points in four games against the Canucks this year.

- Vancouver's leaders in power play ice time (per game in Round One): Mats Sundin 3:47 Sami Salo 3:42 Henrik Sedin 3:36 Daniel Sedin 3:34 Pavol Demitra 3:32 Alexander Edler 3:28

- Chicago's leaders in power play ice time (per game in Round One): Cam Barker 3:46 Brent Seabrook 3:16 Patrick Sharp 3:07 Jonathan Toews 3:01 Martn Havlat 2:51 Dave Bolland 2:47

- Vancouver's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game in Round One): Willie Mitchell 5:02 Ryan Johnson 4:45 Sami Salo 4:23 Ryan Kesler 4:18 Mattias Ohlund 3:55 Alex Burrows 3:46

- Chicago's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game in Round One): Brent Seabrook 3:06 Duncan Keith 2:51 Samuel Pahlsson 2:45 Dave Bolland 2:01 Adam Burish 1:52 Niklas Hjalmarsson 1:27

The Series So Far
 * April 30, 2009** - Canucks call up [|Jeff Cowan] from Preoria of the AHL - The "Brabarian" is back!!! ||