Sedins, Luongo lead Canucks Cup Campaign; The Vancouver Canucks 2010 Playoff Preview

82 Games played, 103 points. Another regular season has come and gone, and once again the Canucks stand atop the Northwest Division poised for a lengthy playoff run. Unlike years past, this season’s playoff optimism is accompanied by a sense of expectation, and in some minds a certain sense of confidence in this year’s edition of the Canucks. While I much prefer to feel like the underdog, the Canucks are no longer just knocking on the door of the NHL’s elite, they are kicking it down. After lessons learned against the high powered Chicago Blackhawks in the second round last year, the Canucks seem to be ready to make a deep run into the playoffs.

This newfound optimism is for good reason; the emergence of Henrik and Daniel Sedin as dominant NHL stars has sparked the Canucks offence, opening up the ice for secondary scoring to lift the team to new heights. New additions Mikael Samuelsson and Michael Grabner as well as returning skaters Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond have flourished as the second half of the Canucks one-two scoring punch. More notably, Henrik Sedin is the 1^st ever Canucks Art Ross trophy winner with 29 goals and 82 assists for 112 points in 82 games. The Canucks successful team effort to boost Henrik’s point output is a statement not only by Henrik but also by the team that they are ready to do something special in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

With 103 points and a Northwest Division title, the 3^rd seeded Vancouver Canucks will take on the young up and coming Los Angeles Kings who sit 6^th with 101 points. The resemblance of the emerging Kings with last year’s edition of the Blackhawks ensures this will be a tough series, even as a 3 vs. 6 matchup. With only two points overall separating these two teams, the NHL playoff’s intensity and unpredictability make this no easy series for either team.

The Matchups

In goal, after leading Team Canada to gold Roberto Luongo will always be the favourite in any goaltending matchup. However Jonathan Quick is ready to make an impression as another of the NHL’s young and talented backstops.  A look at the statistics in goal for both Luongo and Quick proves either goaltender could come out on top in the series, however both goaltenders’ stats tell a different story heading into the series.

Roberto Luongo’s .913 save percentage and 2.57 goals against average are his worst numbers through the regular season as a Canuck, the goals against being especially high for Luongo. While these numbers may be partially inflated due to the Canucks move towards a more aggressive, offensive game compared to the structure defensive seasons of the past, the fact remains the Luongo hasn’t been his best for much of this season. While that isn’t to say that Luongo hasn’t been a consistent winning goaltender, the amount of easy goals Roberto has let in this year and the scarcity of dominating performances from the captain (only four shutouts this season, Luongo’s lowest as a Canuck) have begun to question if Luongo can find his form during the playoffs much like he was able to during the Olympic tournament.

Jonathan Quick on the other hand has just found his game with the Kings over the last two seasons. His .907 save percentage and .254 goals against average are very similar to Luongo’s, however in his first full NHL season Jonathan Quick has proven he is a high end NHL starter, racking up 39 wins in the process. Quick’s rough end of the season may begin to fracture the 24 year old keeper’s confidence, however just like Luongo, Quick is looking towards the playoffs as a new season, an opportunity to prove that they can perform in most important games of the year, in the biggest stage the NHL has to offer.

As unpredictable as the NHL playoffs can be, It is anyone’s guess which team will come out on top in net during the series; the numbers this season leave it to a coin flip. However, Luongo’s edge in career numbers, as well as playoff and other big game experience makes him the best bet to take over the series and backstop his team to the second round.

On Defence, The battered and bruised group of Canucks’ will be tested in order to stay healthy and perform at their best throughout the series. The Canucks are lead by Christian Ehrhoff who finished the season 3^rd among defenseman with a +36, and leads the Canucks with 44 points. Alex Edler, Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa will also be looked upon to chip in offensively during the series, however given the absence of Willie Mitchell, expect the Canuck defence to be very careful jumping into the play at all times. Look for the toughness and grit of Shane O’Brien, Kevin Bieksa and Andrew Alberts to wear down the Kings forwards as the series’ progresses; they all have a big mean streak to them.

In Los Angeles, Drew Doughty has established himself in his sophomore season as an elite NHL defenseman, an understatement for a 20 year old that has an Olympic gold medal to his name. Doughty’s scoring ability as well as his ability to play responsible defence will make him one of the players to watch any time he is on the ice; don’t be surprised if Doughty pulls off another gem similar to the one below at some point during the series. Doughty and Johnson’s lack of playoff experience may catch up with them, however Johnson isn’t concerned. Given Doughty’s performance during the Olympic tournament, there’s no doubting the Kings stud. As a cup winner, Rob Scuderi gives a veteran “been there before” presence to the Kings D; it will be up to him and Sean O’Donnell to lead the Kings defence as the most senior playoff rearguards. Randy Jones and Matt Greene will also be looked upon to play solid ‘D’ in order to slow down the Canucks high powered attack.

If at the beginning of the year you had told me the Canucks would be entering the playoffs as the 2nd highest scoring team in the NHL, I would have thought you had lost it. Believable or not, the Canucks enter into the series against the Kings trailing only the Washington Capitals this season in goals per game, a testament to the Canucks improvements up front. It’s no secret that the Sedin twins will provide the bulk of Canucks’ scoring in the playoffs, however other pieces to the puzzle up front may prove to be much more important as the series battles on. Ryan Kesler’s playmaking ability and complete two way game make him one of the most important and effective Canucks forwards, he will be constantly looked upon for scoring help while simultaneously shutting down the likes of Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Veterans Pavol Demitra and Mikael Samuelsson will both be looked towards for leadership and timely scoring during the series. Samuelsson especially should prove to be an excellent summer addition, Michael Grabner and Mason Raymond will surely benefit from his presence. The third and fourth lines of the Canucks will also be very important as the series wears on; players like Hordichuk, Rypien, Glass, and Bernier need to win the physical battle every shift they get in order to maintain team momentum which becomes so important during the playoffs.

After the crazy start to the season for Anze Kopitar, the NHL was put on notice that the Slovenian star would be terrorizing NHL goaltenders all season. While his number did taper off, Kopitar ended the season with 81 points leading the Kings in scoring. Dustin Brown and Ryan Smyth also had great offensive starts for the Kings, however the high scoring early months faded for most of the remaining Kings forwards. Secondary scoring threats Alexander Frolov, Jarret Stoll, Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds should also be able to chip in offensively, all four players finished the season with 40+ points. The Kings’ forwards will have to step up to challenge the physical presence of the Canucks’ defence in the series. Shane O’Brien, Andrew Alberts and Kevin Bieksa will all be playing with a mean streak all series long.

Injuries

• Ryan Johnson, 4-6 weeks (broken foot) He will not play in the series.
• Willie Mitchell, Day-to-day (concussion) Questionable.
• Aaron Rome, Day-to-day. Game time decision.

Oh Willie Mitchell, where have you gone? Mitchell has missed 32 games with a concussion believed suffered during a hit from Evgeni Malkin months ago, however the recent update of his status to “day-to-day” on Canucks.com may be a strike of luck for the Canucks. On the other hand, if it is just typical team posturing and tactics in regards to playoff injuries, it may make no difference at all. Regardless, it doesn’t look like Mitchell will be back for this series; he has been seen or heard from at all since the injury. Ryan Johnson will also be sorely missed on the Canucks bench; Johnson’s shot blocking ability and skill in the faceoff circle make him the perfect post-season role payer, a role that he may not be able to fill at all during this year’s playoffs as he waits for his broken foot to heal. The broken foot of course is from one of the latest of many shots Johnson has blocked this season, a frustrating turn of events for Johnson who now is forced to watch from the player’s box when his team needs him most. Matt Pettinger will have to fill in huge minutes in Johnson’s absence from the Penalty Kill.

Players/Matchups

While goaltending may decide this series one way or the other, two players on either team stand out to me as the key skaters for their respective teams. Drew Doughty has been the King’s rock on defence all year long; his ability to shut down the oppositions top players and turn around with offensive support is what makes him so dangerous, he needs to have a good series for the Kings. While the scoring output of the Sedin twins will be very important, Ryan Kesler has the ability to turn the tide in Vancouver’s favour. Kesler’s combination of grit, scoring and speed has become a contagious attitude for the Canucks, his ability to get under your skin with tough defence and timely scoring at both ends of the rink makes him the Canuck to watch this series. Watch for Kesler to be matched up against Anze Kopitar in order to keep the Slovenian star off the score sheet.

Prediction Time

The Los Angeles Kings have made great strides this season with development in all three positions; Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar have emerged as stars in today’s NHL. However, the King’s lack of playoff experience and inferior scoring could spell a quick end to their playoff hopes. The high powered Canuck offence lead by Art Ross winner Henrik Sedin will be a tough task for the Kings, while injuries to Johnson and Mitchell will cost the Canucks, when taking into account the speed and skill of Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Alex Burrows and Michael Grabner the Canucks seem destined to prove themselves against the young Kings.

Flying V Prediction – Canucks in 6

New and Notes

• Art Ross Trophy Winner + Vancouver Playoff Fever = Big Sales.
• I’ve always appreciated Alain Vigneault’s attention to detail as an NHL coach, he is always able to make the right tweak or change in order to get the best out of his team. When it comes to sex, Vigneault’s just stays out of it “We do sex every day?”…”I’m missing out on something!” money quotes from AV.
• As they do every year, Burnaby’s own EA Games ran an official simulation of this year’s NHL playoffs, their virtual champions: the Chicago Blackhawks. Also included are every team’s Stanley Cup odds. The Canucks odds? 15/2.
• All season long, The Flying V has fully endorsed Rick Rypien as the NHL’s top pound for pound fighter. Puck Daddy’s Top 10 NHL fights of 2009-2010 (via Hockeyfights.com’s top fights of the year) features Rick Rypien a couple times in the top ten, none better than number one. Rick Rypien vs. Cam Janssen, New Year’s Eve 2009 – a dominating 78.2% decision for Rick ‘The Pit Bull’ Rypien.

• It’s no secret that the Flying V enthusiastically supports enjoying beer and hockey together, but at this time of year especially it’s important to put the keys at home and either bus, cab, or crash on your buddies couch after a couple drinks. So do the right thing this post season, Celebrate Responsibly during this year’s playoffs – Don’t Drink and Drive or Rick Rypien will come get you, and we don’t need any reminder about what Rick Rypien does to bad people now do we?

Official Flying V 2010 Playoff Predictions

As a fantasy hockey junkie, it’s always fun to try and predict how the NHL playoffs will break down, as we’ve seen in the past they are just so damn unpredictable. Right San Jose? So without further delay here are my picks for the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Think you’ve got what it takes to beat The Flying V? Include your picks in the comments section and play along as the playoffs go by round by round!

Ed Note: A day late on publishing the preview, I assure you these predictions were made well before last night’s games…you’ll see why in a second.

West: Canucks (6) defeat Kings, Sharks (6) defeat Avalanche, Blackhawks (5) defeat Predators, Red Wings (6) defeat Coyotes.

East: Capitals (5) defeat Canadiens, Devils (6) defeat Flyers, Sabres (7) defeat Bruins, Penguins (5) defeat Senators.

So enjoy the game tonight boys and girls, it’s going to be beautiful inside GM Place tonight. 7 PM Start as usual from the garage, the starting line-up for the Canucks could change, so stay up to date over at Canucks.com. I hope to see Canucks jerseys out in full force throughout the playoffs, nothing better than walking through a city full of fans all wearing the same colours.