Where Have You Gone, Bobby Lou?

"Where have you gone, Bobby Lou
A nation turns its worrisome eyes to you.

What's that you do, Mr Vigneault
Salo left and the defense blew."

The Worrisome Pattern

The Hawks are not the only team to come back from 2-0 deficit against Luongo and the Canucks in the playoffs. St Louis scored two unanswered goals to erase a 2-0 deficit in the 2nd period in Game 4 of the 1st round series, and they would have taken the lead if their third goal in the period had not been disallowed. They also beat Luongo on another shot, which was blocked by Edler's skate at the goal-line.

The Canucks swept the Blues. But, that game shows how vulnerable Luongo and the defense without Salo are when the opposing team generates a big rush and crashes the net.

The worrisome pattern repeats itself in the 2nd round against the Hawks, whose offense has more depth than the Blues. The Canucks blew a 3-goal lead in Game 1 but escaped with a late game-winning goal by Salo. They built a 2-goal lead in Game 2, but after Salo left the game due to injury, they were "whipped" by the Hawks.

Where Have you Gone, Bobby Lou?

I'm worried that Luongo may be off his game at this point. The Hawks seem to have cracked him in the first two games. They're also trying to "get into his head'. Will he be able to find power from within and bounce back.?

What's that you do, Mr Vigneault?

The Canucks believe their defense is one of the best in the league. But with Salo missing, Vigneault juggled all the defense pairs and the results were dismal.  When the players are forced to play out of their comfort zone, they tend to make more mistakes. Perhaps Vigneault should let someone take Salo's spot and keep the other defense pairs intact.

I have faith in the Canucks, though that faith is being sorely tested right now. The Hawks have speed and skill, but there are ways to neutralize speed. The Canucks cannot let the Hawks dictate the game, they have to play their style of game, and play to their own strengths.