Passed The Test

The biggest test was coming out in the second game. The Canucks had to win tonight to make a statement, prove they really are a cup contender, and take a grasp of this series. The adrenaline had worn off and the Canucks came out flying. They didn’t seem to miss a beat and that couldn’t have been clearer than in the play of Luongo.

After playing a scoreless game for the first half of the game Mats Sundin stepped into the slot and tipped a puck from about waist high and got the first of the game past Chris Mason who stood on his head to give the Blues a chance and keep them in the game. The Canucks, in front of a sold out crowd of towel waving, Canuck rabid, yelling and screaming fans put on a show and did not disappoint. The Canucks played in the Blues end of the ice all night and the few chances the Blues go Luongo stepped up and shut them down.

After an arguably subpar season for Wellwood (after his hot start to the season), Demitra, and Bernier, it’s clear that the playoffs are a different story. The Canucks have been rolling four lines consistently and every single player is playing at a level they never reached in the regular season. The speed and hustle which was present in tonight’s game was a testament to that as Raymond, Bernier, and Demitra were amongst the hardest working Canucks on the night.

It’s safe to say however, that no other Canuck on the ice tonight was as hard working as the captain Roberto Luongo. He again showed that he was on top of his game and there was nothing that was going to slow him down these playoffs. While the game stayed scoreless, the Canucks defense took care of many of the Blues’ odd man rushes and anything Luongo faced he managed to turn away. He was making stops from all angles and managed to preserve the shutout with a number of acrobatics that equaled the heroics by Chris Mason at the other end of the ice. Luongo at one point in the game had stopped 134 of his previous 136 shots. His shutout marked his 3^rd shutout in his last 4 games and the first shutout by a Canucks goaltender in the playoffs since their playoff run in 1994. It was also Luongo’s first career post season shutout.

I was worried that after being high on the adrenaline overdose flowing through their veins in game one that the Canucks and Blues would skate a much more conservative game today, but the Canucks proved me wrong, and reaffirmed that they are not hoping to hit the golf courses early this year. They came out with determination in their stride and the level at which they maintained play it is clear that they’re physically, and mentally ready for a long playoff run. The Canucks now head to St. Louis for game three as they look to take a stranglehold on the series. It’s an early start 4pm PST and after some last minute heroics by Save on Foods, the games broadcast in St. Louis will be shown in HD thanks to their generous donation of $100,000 towards the rental of an HD mobile station for the broadcast of the games via CBC.

~ by Richard Loat on April 17, 2009.