Luongo Perfect, Canucks Open With Win.

As a Canuck fan, this was a game that lived up to my wildest dreams. The Canucks came out fast (too fast for Versus, thanks to the Rangers and the Caps), relied on some amazing goaltending (and about 4 lucky saves by the posts), and just threw a blanket over the Chicago offense for the final 40 minutes (although they certainly picked it up in the 2nd) en route to a very nice 2-0 Game One win last night at the Roger. I enjoyed the game, and almost as much, I enjoyed the jaw jacking with Jon via the blog (38 comments is pretty fun).

What can I say about this game? Roberto Luongo had to have this. While someone on this very blog suggested that Bobby Lu showed weakness by refusing interviews before the game, I think he showed that he knows what's best for him. He stood on his freaking head in this one, and after the way that the Hawks had abused him in the last two postseasons, he really needed this. The fan base really needed it as well. You knew the Canucks were good, and you knew that Lu had the best regular season of his Vancouver career, and yet...there is always that nagging sense of impending doom as I pointed out in the pregame yesterday. Roberto came up wild, stopping all 32 shots, and was probably at his best on a stop with his right pad against Brian Campbell. The 'Nucks announcers on the call said that the puck went in initially before realizing that Roberto somehow stopped it. It was an unbelievable stop, and it was one of a couple truly iconic saves that our keeper put up last night.

Now, if you're a Blackhawk fan, I guess you are griping about the four posts that Chicago rang in the game. Yes, that's four times that they had Lu beat, and four times that they were less than an inch away from getting a goal, but are you really going to cut Luongo down for it? The Canucks had pucks ring off the post as well, with a Mikael Samuelsson shot being the most memorable. Posts happen, they are a part of hockey. Maybe it's just because I'm an Orca fan, but I don't think that it takes away from Luongo's performance at all. He looked great out there last night, and we should be proud and confident because of it.

The Blackhawks took a little while to warm up, but eventually they got back to their old tricks of crowding in and bumping our goalie, knocking him down a couple of times. The only time they got called was when Brouwer pushed Bieksa into our goalie to take him out. The refs definitely could have called at least two other goalie interference calls, but for some reason, they just keep getting away with it (my frustration from the last two years is all coming back to me know). I'm sure that the Hawks are going to be getting more physical with Roberto as the series goes on (as it's the only way they seem to know how to score) and that will only lead to more fighting around the crease. I just hope he's ready.

Speaking about being physical, how about the way the Canucks beat up on Chicago all night long? The Canucks blasted the Hawks for 20 hits in the first period alone, and finished with a 47-21 hit victory. We were finishing our checks, and we didn't look afraid to be physical at all. Opening with that kind of physical presence had a huge impact on the game, and I think Chicago was a little shocked by the way we came out. We're not a big brawling kind of team, and I think that's what surprised the Hawks as the game opened. Keeping it up, as the series moves on, will be the key.

That being said, Chicago had a really solid second period. While they didn't net any goals, they came back and made the Canucks and Luongo work a lot harder than he needed to in the initial 20 minutes. After only putting 7 shots on goal in the first, the Hawks peppered Lu with 15 in the middle block of the game. This was the period where he really needed to step up, and he did. After such a physical first, you have to wonder if the 'Nucks were a little taxed heading into the second, but I think it's just as likely that Chicago simply woke up and was going after it a little harder. 

How about the goal scorers? Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen? Who would have bet on that one? Higgins put a perfect tip on goal from a Bieksa blaster after Ryan Kesler worked his butt off to get control of the puck. Jannik's goal came just about 3 minutes later, and showcased his speed to the whole hockey world. I love how the Versus guys act all shocked when he flips it into fifth gear. He's been doing it for his whole career, guys. Still, he looked great outskating the defense and then being able to bury the puck past Crawford. It was quite a way to open the first 10 minutes.

After the goals, Alain Vigneault decided that it would be great to play the trap defense game, and I'd guess that the style of play angered more than a couple of Hawk fans. I say that because I know how much I hate when other teams do that to the Canucks when they have a small lead. When it's your team dominating, however, it feels pretty great. The Canucks played some great defense, held the Hawks up at the blue line, and when Chicago did get into the offensive zone, the Vannie defense would swarm on the puck and then clear it out, over and over again. They played solid on the way out.

I'll admit that I was worried when the Hawks got a power play when Daniel Sedin took that hook at 17:32, and Chicago added an extra attacker after pulling their goalie to go 6-on-4. I was real nervous. It was just too much time left, if Chicago would score, to feel comfortable. Luckily, I found relief 31 seconds later when Brouwer picked up that aforementioned goalie interference call. At that point, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, sit back, and enjoy the remainder of the clash. 

If I'm a Blackhawk fan, there is something very positive that I would be taking with me after this one. That is the fact that Daniel, Henrik, and Alex Burrows were held completely silent. Hank had 0 shots and 2 penalty minutes in an E game over 15+, Daniel put 3 on goal with 2 minutes in the box in similar time, and Burrows also put 3 on with nothing to show for it. Keeping them quiet is definitely a big deal for the Hawks, and they should be proud of that. 

Another interesting thing for me is the difference in ice time between Cody Hodgson and Maxime Lapierre. While Max has assumed the four line center role, Cody has been handed the third line center spot with much interest from the fan base. And yet, Lapierre had nearly 12 minutes out on the ice, while Cody was below 8. For all the talk from Alain Vigneault about thinking that Cody was ready to get this huge shot, and all the fan base reaction to that decision (I think split down the middle between good and bad), he shuffled the lines to give Max more time. I thought Lapierre looked quick and physical out there, which was great, and I felt pretty nervous the whole time Hodgson was out there. I think he showed some promise, but I was feeling more concerned about his not messing up than actually doing well. And, I think that's what the Canucks are looking for him to do. Just don't screw up while you're out there, that's all we're asking. If you can hang with that, this playoff chance will be seen as a success. What happens when Raffi comes back?

By the way, how does Patrick Sharp earn third star? Was this some kind of joke? He was on the ice for both of the Canuck goals, and produced absolutely nothing. How does that qualify you to be named along with Luongo and Hansen after this one? What a joke.

So, the Canucks lead the playoff series 1-0 after one game, and continue the series on Friday at home. The performance in game one was important to keep us savages quiet, but everyone in the Orca fan base knows that performance in game two is what's really important. It's been said to death, but we won the opening game against the Hawks the previous two playoff series, and while last night was encouraging, it doesn't mean much more than getting 25% of the way toward the next round. If you like the Hawks, keep this in mind: The Canucks are 1-6 in the second game of playoff series at home since moving into the Roger Arena/GM Place. Talk about needing to vanquish a playoff ghost.

Just start praying that Washington and New York will have a quick game tomorrow night so we don't have to miss all the scoring again.

It's back on tomorrow night. Can't wait.

*In case you are looking for an update, Jon and I do have a friendly bet going in this one. The fan of the losing team has to take the fan of the winning team out for a drink for game one of the next playoff series, wearing the gear of the winning team, and has to explain to three strangers at the bar how long he has been a fan of the team and how much he loves them (on and on). It's just going to be perfect...as long as Vancouver wins.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē