So, after months of sweating things out, the Vancouver Canucks can finally be called Northwest Division champions for the second time in three seasons. In all honesty, if I had to pick a team that I was least scared to match up with in the first round, it would be the Dallas Stars. Not because they’re not a good team; they most certainly are. I just think a team that doesn’t score a lot of goals means the Canucks won’t have to do much catching up, which is something they aren’t very good at.
A first round collision course with the Stars ensures us of a very defensive, low-scoring series. Whoever can put a couple of goals in the net early could potentially lock a game up in the first period. A comforting thought for Canucks fans should be that the offense seems to do a lot when it has to. They have shown in a couple of Colorado games that they can run with teams (although usually coming up on the wrong side in the end). The bottom line is the Canucks need to play their style of hockey, and they will be fine.
Since this is a playoff overview, we need to take into account POSSIBLE second round opponents. This is my view on who the Canucks want to play, from (1) most desirable, to (6) God help us (of the remaining six teams). These all factor into account that both teams were to win their first round series’.
1. Believe it or not, I’d say the next most desirable team for the Canucks to play against (besides Dallas) would indeed be 1st seeded DETROIT. The Canucks showed ownage during the season going 3-1, with the only loss being a one goal game. For some reason, the Canucks just seem to match up great with the Wings, but unfortunately, there is no chance Vancouver can face them until the Western Conference Finals (3 can’t play 1 in the second round no matter what happens as 1 plays the lowest remaining seed which couldn’t be Vancouver).
2. Second on my list would be the 4th seeded PREDATORS. Despite Nashville grabbing the second highest point total in the west, the Canucks split the season series with them, and showed they could dominate with a 2-0 win late in the season. The only reason Nashville is so high on this list is simply because this would probably be one of the least physically draining series’, as compared to say San Jose. Vancouver would match up with the Predators in the second round if just one of the top two seeds wins.
3. From here down starts the list of teams that would certainly sap a team’s strength. Third on my list is the 8th seeded FLAMES, simply because they pose the least threat in terms of statistical talent. When they’re hot, they’re extremely dangerous, but too many times this year we’ve seen the Flames stumble on defense, while at the same time not creating enough on offense. I’d certainly be scared to face them (i.e. 03-04 playoffs) and I really hope it doesn’t come to this. This series would leave us wiped for whatever team came along next. Vancouver would play Calgary in the second round only if Anaheim loses to Minnesota.
4. Taking the season series 3-1 doesn’t tell half the story between the Canucks and the next team on this list, 5th seeded SAN JOSE. Sure, the nice record is the reason the Sharks aren’t at the bottom of this list, but with two of those wins coming in overtime, this series would be anything but a piece of cake. With a rivalry that was built up by the final meeting between these two teams, the winner of this series would be in shambles going into their next round. With a high powered offense, and two great goalies, let’s hope the Canucks don’t play the Sharks in this year’s playoffs. The two square off if only one of the two top seeds win.
5. Possibly the most intriguing series of the playoffs would come about if the Canucks were to match up with the 7th seeded WILD. Wild wouldn’t even begin to describe how this series would go, as both teams proved they could take the other during the regular season. Vancouver would be out to avenge previous postseason failure against Minnesota, while the Wild would be out to prove it wasn’t an aberration. Certainly, the winner would be totally destroyed for their next match up. Luckily, I have just determined no combination of teams victories could match these teams up in the second round (Canucks could either be 1st or 2nd seed remaining, while the Wild would be 3rd if the Canucks were first, or 4th if the Canucks were 2nd, dodging any possible meeting until the Conference Finals).
6. The last team I would ever want to face this postseason also happens to be the most likely second round match up. The 2nd seeded DUCKS would face the Canucks if all the favorites were to win their respective series. The Ducks physical style of play has knocked the Canucks off their game time and time again as shown by the Canucks 1-3 record against Anaheim. The team that came out of this series alive (if one actually did) would be unconscious at best for the next round, and would be extremely impressive in winning another series.
No matter what happens, Lord Stanley’s playoffs will be captivating to all. Before any of the aforementioned second round match ups could take place, the Canucks still have to play their hearts out to beat the Stars of Dallas. Assuming Roberto Luongo doesn’t find the playoffs to be anything too out of the ordinary, I see the sky as the limit for us Canucks this postseason.
