Bah, I suppose the Canucks can be happy that they won the game regardless of the fact that Chicago erased a 3-0 deficit and made it close. Yay for Sami Salo for pinching in and cleaning up the garbage at 18:47 of the 3rd period to make it 4-3 en route to a 5-3 Canucks victory. But is there one Canucks fan out there who is feeling 100% confident after this victory? There shouldn't be. Sure, the Canucks persevered in the end despite the mental breakdown in the 3rd period but in the back of your mind can you really be confident with any Canucks lead after watching this game?
Not me.
The Canucks' regimented defence failed to shut down the Hawks in the final frame and nearly lost the game in the end. You don't blow a 3-goal lead at this time of year. Not in round 2 of the playoffs. I am both happy yet cautious after Game 1. The team will have to sharpen it's defensive skills over the full 60 minutes. Maybe we can blame the 9 day layoff. Maybe not. Whatever.
Roberto Luongo is not to be faulted on any of the Hawks' goals. That was poor defensive coverage on all 3 Hawks goals.
The positives? Well, the RPM Line did show up tonight, tallying 3 points. The Canucks spent less time in the penalty box than Chicago did. Thanks Kyle Wellwood. Yeah, Kyle Wellwood. You can knock his teeth out and make his brow bleed but he keeps on ticking. 2 assists tonight and nearly 19:00 played, more than he has played all year in a single game. There's your hero of game 1. I don't think he even lost a faceoff draw tonight. Way to go Woody!
I saw a glaring reason why Taylor Pyatt did not draw into the lineup. No doubt Mason Raymond belongs on this squad. Darcy Hordichuk however...is a different story. See the boxscore for further proof.