The last time that these two teams met in the playoffs, St. Louis jumped on a 3-1 series lead, led by veteran defenseman Al MacInnis and Calder Trophy winner Barret Jackman. But the Blues saw their playoff hopes end in a horrible downward spiral, when they lost three straight to Canucks captain Markus Naslund (who recorded 14 points in 14 playoff games that post-season) and the rest of the Vancouver crew. The only player that truly showed up for St. Louis was veteran center Doug Weight, who scored thirteen points in the seven game series.
But six years later, the Blues are hoping for a better end result.
The Blues’ astonishing end to the season drew a lot of attention their way: “Nobody wants to play them,” stated Doug Stolhand of PuckPodcast.com during his weekly podcast. Andy Strickland of HockeyBuzz.com also feels confident about this team: “Offensively this team can score. All four lines can play in the offensive end. They forecheck and apply pressure on the puck.”
The real story in St. Louis has been the play of Chris Mason, who took over the number one job when Manny Legace was sent to Peoria in early February. Since that time, the Blues have gone an uncanny 20-7-4, all the while with Mason starting every single game.
Blues forward David Backes has been a strong asset to the roster as well. Scoring 31 goals and 54 points, he is proving why Vancouver tried to pick him off the RFA block last summer. Adding a four-goal-game against Detroit on April 2nd, Backes has proven time and again that he is a clutch forward.
Another reason for the Blues’ success has been the play of the special team units. The penalty-kill, which ranks third in the league overall, features players like Jay McClement and Alex Steen who do anything to stop shots and passes from the blue line. Defensemen Roman Polak and Jay McKee have been valuable killing penalties too, covering men deep in the zone and not allowing any skating room.
The power-play has been phenomenal as well. Ranking eighth in the NHL, many sharpshooters have arisen as of late. Brad Boyes checks in tied for fifth in power-play goals in the league with 16 goals. Boyes likes to setup on the top of the left face-off circle and one-time the puck from a sharp pass. Look for the Blues’ power-play to be key in this series.
On the other side of the rink, the Vancouver Canucks have a very strong team. Finishing with 100 points on the season and getting the Northwest Division title, the Canucks finished the regular season very strong as well. The Vancouver team went 11-4-2 in their final 17 games.
The Canucks are led by the first captain-goaltender in NHL history, Roberto Luongo. Luongo finished the NHL season with a .920 save percentage and a 2.34 GAA in 54 games played. There are many NHL analysts that believe that Luongo gets a definite edge over Mason, despite Mason’s great run. Michael Wagenknecht of Bleacherreport.com admits that Mason has been stellar, but, “Roberto Luongo has been that and more for Vancouver. Luongo posted a 22-8-5 record with four shutouts since returning from injury in January.”
The offensive show that St. Louis must look out for is the pairing of brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Both players recorded a point on the same goal 57 different times this season, which blows away any other one-two punch in the NHL. Both players amassed 82 points separately this season, and have been the driving force for the Canucks all year.
Another player that the Blues must pay attention to is former Blue Pavol Demitra. Even though Pavol recorded just 53 points in 69 games this season, the Blues players better believe that he will be looking for retribution against his former club.
Defenseman Mattias Ohlund will see his contract expire at the end of this playoff year, so it is obvious he will be playing hard for a good contract next season no matter where he lands. His fifth best plus/minus rating of a plus-14 seems like nothing to write home about, but when he is playing against the top lines every night, it becomes something to be admired.
Another style of play that the Blues must be aware of is that of the penalty-kill. Even though they ranked just 16th in the league, forward Alex Burrows tied for fourth in the league with four shorthanded goals.
The best bet for the Blues to win is by a tightened defense. Scoring goals against the stingy defense and impeccable goaltending is no easy task. The top defensive pairing of Barret Jackman and Roman Polak will have to contain the play of the Sedins and will also have to find ways of getting the puck into the hands of the Blues’ offense. The offense will also have to chip in as well, helping out on the back-check as much as possible as well as pressuring the Vancouver defense in the offensive zone to turn the puck over.
The best strategy for Vancouver to beat the Blues is to continually take shots, even if they are bad ones. Chris Mason has played spectacular as of late, but does give up a lot of rebounds. With hard shots from blue-liners Kevin Bieksa and Mattias Ohlund, many rebounds can be shoved out to forwards like Mats Sundin, Taylor Pyatt and Steve Bernier, who must convert on their chances.
Both teams have never won a Stanley Cup, and are still not considered favorites this season. But with strong play to end the regular season and a good, hard-fought series, one of these teams could emerge as a favorite heading into the second round. This will be one of the most entertaining matchups in the Quarterfinal Series.
Keywords: Al MacInnis, Alex Burrows, Alex Steen, Barret Jackman, Brad Boyes, Chris Mason, Daniel Sedin, David Backes, Doug Weight, Henrik Sedin, hockey, Jay McClement, Jay McKee, Kevin Bieksa, Markus Naslund, Mats Sundin, Mattias Ohlund, NHL, Pavol Demitra, quarterfinals, Roberto Luongo, Roman Polak, St. Louis Blues, Stanley Cup, Steve Bernier, Taylor Pyatt
