Of all Vancouver fans, I’m probably the first one to push the panic button. After all, after virtually every bad play I say, “Well that’s probably the end of the season.” However, I’m finding a little bit of hope heading into Game Six between the Stars, and our beloved Cardiac Canucks.
Second time is the charm. It took Vancouver two attempts to clinch a playoff berth, two attempts to clinch the division title, and Game Six will be the Canucks second chance to win the series. They better stick to that pattern though, because even I won’t have anything positive to talk about if this series comes back to Vancouver for a seventh.
The Canucks offense has been nonexistant which leads me to bring up something I half-heartedly suggested at the beginning of the series. I figured that if there was one team in the playoffs that Vancouver could outgun, it was Dallas. So far the Canucks have only opened up once, and that led to a two goal third period lead. With Luongo’s new level of comfort, a two goal lead would probably be unbeatable. For a team that’s scored four goals in four games, anything is worth a try to generate some offense.
Vancouver also has a few things working in its favor going into Saturday night’s game. The road team is 4-1 in this series, with the only loss coming in Vancouver’s opening game marathon victory. Dallas hasn’t won a home playoff game in six tries. And of course, Vancouver still has Roberto Luongo. I’d say the Canucks have a better chance of winning this one in six, than at home in Game Seven.
Even if the powerplay looks dead and the offense looks nonexistant, we need to remember that Vancouver still holds the 3-2 series lead, and I’m pretty sure any of us would have taken that if it had been offered to us at the beginning of the series.
