Analyzing the Canucks' failure
The day after is never easy...trying to explain how things went wrong and why another season is over prematurely, the could-have-beens and should-have-beens, and the where-do-we-go-from-heres. The Canucks had it all going for them, but now they are losers yet again. So what happened? One of the easy explanations is to point to a shift in momentum in the series in the last three minutes of Game 4. Rather than returning to Vancouver with a 3-1 series lead, the series was tied, and the Hawks had it going for them. But it's not all based on momentum; after all, the Canucks could have regained control simply by winning Game 5 at home. I think their collapse (which is the best word for what happened) was due to a combination of several factors:
1. Luongo's wear showed at the end of the series. He played hard through an injury and regained his form, but he was tired by the end of the series. He was not helped by his defense, who let a lot of shots through, but he looked more fallible than normal.
2. The young players made mistakes. While Edler, Burrows, and the other baby Canucks had played above their pedigree against St. Louis, they started making errors and showing their inexperience.
3. Whither the Swedes? The Sedins and Sundin were all but invisible against Chicago. For players going to the free-agent market, Daniel and Henrik did not try as hard as they could (or should) have.
4. A lax attack. The Canucks backed off a lot as the series went on, and they didn't put pressure on the Hawks. Their forwards had more space, and the Canucks didn't press for shots.
So, there's the explanation. It doesn't help Canucks fans, especially because this year was shaping up to be one of their best opportunities to win the Cup. Their last best chance was 2003, when they choked away a 3-1 series lead against the Minnesota Wild. I don't know if the window is closed, but it's a little narrower now. And it's back to the drawing board for the Canucks, and the key question is whether this collapse is indicative of a need for a drastic rebuilding or just a little tinkering. My thought is that the team is a contender as is, and that they just didn't perform against a young, hungry team. The Canucks need to work on re-signing the Sedins and tweaking their line-up, rather than wholesale changes. After all, there is always next year...
1. Luongo's wear showed at the end of the series. He played hard through an injury and regained his form, but he was tired by the end of the series. He was not helped by his defense, who let a lot of shots through, but he looked more fallible than normal.
2. The young players made mistakes. While Edler, Burrows, and the other baby Canucks had played above their pedigree against St. Louis, they started making errors and showing their inexperience.
3. Whither the Swedes? The Sedins and Sundin were all but invisible against Chicago. For players going to the free-agent market, Daniel and Henrik did not try as hard as they could (or should) have.
4. A lax attack. The Canucks backed off a lot as the series went on, and they didn't put pressure on the Hawks. Their forwards had more space, and the Canucks didn't press for shots.
So, there's the explanation. It doesn't help Canucks fans, especially because this year was shaping up to be one of their best opportunities to win the Cup. Their last best chance was 2003, when they choked away a 3-1 series lead against the Minnesota Wild. I don't know if the window is closed, but it's a little narrower now. And it's back to the drawing board for the Canucks, and the key question is whether this collapse is indicative of a need for a drastic rebuilding or just a little tinkering. My thought is that the team is a contender as is, and that they just didn't perform against a young, hungry team. The Canucks need to work on re-signing the Sedins and tweaking their line-up, rather than wholesale changes. After all, there is always next year...
Labels: Chicago Blackhawks, playoffs, Vancouver Canucks
posted by Life of Turner at
9:52 AM
1 Comments:
The concerns about Vancouver's scoring attack or lack there of were clearly evidenced in this series. The Canucks have no one that they can rely on to get that key goal or help get the momentum back. For all the money that Mats Sundin is being paid or that the Sedin twins think they deserve this offseason, the ability to score when it counts and also stop the other team from doing so was clearly not there. In each Hawks win the Canucks gave up a poorly timed goal and then couldn't get momentum back....and that reflects your top forwards not able to play like top forwards.
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