Last night the 2009 NHL playoffs got underway, opening with four games: three from the Eastern Conference, and the lone Western Conference opener between St.Louis and Vancouver. The host Canucks finished the season with the fourth best record in the latter half of the season, going 23-13-5 in their last 41 games and 6-3-1 in their last ten leading into the playoffs, though they were overshadowed by the success of the Blues going into last night’s game who had a 25-9-7 record in their last 41 games and a 8-1-1 in their last ten. With these numbers in place, St.Louis was the hottest team in the NHL since the All-Star break in January and looked to continue their success in the opening game of the first round against Vancouver.
Although analysts held both teams’ statistics in high regard, it was Vancouver who benefited from their 13-1-1 home record since February as they opened the first round at GM Place with a win over the Blues. The Canucks came hard in the first period, coach Alain Vigneault worked feverishly to match lines with opposing coach Andy Murray’s Blues; the line match-ups worked out well for the fans, resulting in a hard-hitting opening frame that seemed to last the rest of the game. Both teams aimed to establish a physical presence early in the series, leading to an astounding 15 penalties through regulation time.
Daniel Sedin was the first on the scoresheet having threaded the needle off a pass from Pavol Demitra during a delayed penalty. St.Louis responded to the goal with pressure deep in Vancouver’s end, but failed to capitalize on any chances, including a 5-on-3 opportunity half-way through the first period. Much of the Canucks’ ability to shutdown the Blues came from Luongo’s outstanding play and Vancouver’s regular season MVP Ryan Kessler, who was able to block three shots during the two-man disadvantage. Vancouver’s dominance over the Blues carried over into the second period when Salo, having been fed the puck from the cycling Sedins, fired a shot from just inside the blueline, taking advantage of an early-period powerplay. Penalty trouble continued to plague both teams, with the Blues finally answering the Canucks with a goal on a late powerplay in the second, hoping to kill the home team’s momentum going into the third.
Despite their best efforts, the Blues failed to really pressure the Canucks in the final frame, having been outshot 15 to 6 in the third. The lone opportunities came in the final minute of play when the Blues pulled goaltender Chris Mason for the man advantage, but the veteran defense of the Canucks were able to once again keep the Blues at bay until the final whistle.
It was great to see the physical style of play so early in the series from both sides, a sign that a greater rivalry will develop before the winner of the first round is determined. If the Canucks can continue their momentum going into the second game, and harness the support from their hometown fans before going to St.Louis for the third and fourth games, they are in good shape to move on to the second round.
For a full game summary visit the Canucks game summary here.