VANCOUVER, British Columbia – For the first time in four years, the St.Louis Blues have returned to a very familiar place; the playoffs. This season marks new beginnings for both the Blues and for the Vancouver Canucks; this is the beginning of a reign or an end.
With free agency and retirement looming for Vancouver’s upper echelon players, this season marks a sort of now or never. The number three seeded Canucks are favored to win a series that is considered to be very exciting over the sixth-seeded Blues.
St. Louis traveled to Vancouver to open play for the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the sense of excitement within the air, it was no surprise that things started a little slow for both franchises with Vancouver winning in regulation by a score of 2-1.
What drew the most concern from the fans were the excessive penalties both teams received throughout the game. In total, the Canucks were penalized nine times for a total of 26 minutes as compared to the Blues who were penalized eight times for a total of 24 minutes. With the ire of the constant penalties it was no wonder that neither team was able to get much going offensively. With both teams receiving the excess of time in the box, special teams became a much larger factor than had previously been considered. Both were able to manage only one power play goal the entire game. While much can be said of the aggressive officiating in response to the undisciplined play, both teams should receive a lot of credit for their heads-up defensive play.
Both goaltenders were big factor-makers in their respective teams success giving them the opportunities to win, however opening-night jitters prevailed in the offensive zone for both franchises with Daniel Sedin’s opening goal the only even strength goal in the contest.
The first period opened up with the Blues proving to be the aggressors as they excitedly jumped on Roberto Luongo for four quick shots on goal. The older and more dependable Canucks would have little of this as they chose their shot placement with a divine level of selection, placing two shots on goal in the first ten minutes and putting the third in the back of the net for the opening goal of the playoff series. The goal was a one-timer from Pavol Demitra that went to the assertively swung stick of Daniel Sedin and into the oal. Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler also had an assist on the goal. While Vancouver is considered to have the upper hand in the scoring department, the Blues are considered to carry an equal edge on special teams play. Both teams received two minor penalties in the first period for a total of four minutes apiece. The Blues had the eighth best power play in the NHL this season, yet with a total of three shots on goal in the first period between two minors, the Blues were unable to score. While the power play was unsuccessful in the first, the third-ranked penalty kill did everything essential for a team to win a game. The Canucks were only able to manage three shots during their two power plays one of which came from the neutral zone. Dan Hordichuk received a game misconduct penalty as time expired and Brad Winchester was equally penalized for the Blues. The second period started with the Blues on their third power play of the evening after a roughing penalty on Vancouver centerman Ryan Johnson at the twenty minute mark of the first period. Despite opening the second with the man advantage, St. Louis was unable to convert the power play. With a power play opportunity, Sami Salo netted the second goal of the evening for the Canucks assisted by the Sedin twins. The goal put Vancouver into a 2-0 lead at 14:49 in the second period. After an elbowing minor to Edler, Mattias Ohlund joined him in the sin bin after with a interference minor that put the Blues on a five-on-three power play. Despite the strong upper hand however, the Blues were unable to capitalize, placing a bulk of their shots wide of the net. The chippy play continued through the second period and wound up resulting on a penalty on Mats Sundin for charging. With the Blues not scoring a goal at the end of the Sundin penalty, fellow Swede Patrik Berglund was penalized for hooking with 4:09 left in the period putting Vancouver on the power play. With 1:43 left in the second period, St. Louis scored their first playoff goal in four years. Brad Boyes placed a shot from the outside of the crease into the back of the net. Alexander Steen was credited with the assist along with Andy McDonald. Boyes has been the team’s leading scorer the last two seasons and is a large part of their offensive make up. The goal came on a power play after Henrik Sedin was whistled for hooking. With the Salo goal early in the period and Boyes scoring at the end, the score at the end of the second period was Vancouver 2 and St. Louis 1. The third period became a shut-down match for the Canucks as they tried to protect their one-goal lead. Recognizing that this would be a very low scoring event, Vancouver worked to remain out of the box and limit St. Louis’ shots. Alexander Burrows received the lone penalty of the third period for Vancouver with an offsetting roughing minor with Blues centerman T.J. Oshie. The University of North Dakota product Oshie is considered to be one of the most exciting players coming up in hockey today. The gritty high-scoring player has moments of Keith Tkachuk that should keep Blues fans excited for years to come. Vancouver worked hard to limit the Blues scoring chances in the third and was very successful holding the Blues to six shots on goal and not allowing them to capitalize with an extra skater in the final 1:35 of play. Despite the duration of the open net, Vancouver was unable to score but did manage fifteen shots on goal throughout the third period. The best-of-seven playoff series between Vancouver and St. Louis will continue Friday night, April 17, 2009 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Game time will be 10:00EST.
Contact john.strathman@prohockeynews.com
Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net
You must be logged in to post a comment.