Fan In Van

Too Defensive

It was definitely tough to stomach the Game 4 loss on Thursday night. After all, the Canucks were clinging to a 1-0 lead that was generated off a great save by Roberto Luongo in their own end. The fourth line ability of Ryan Johnson to block the shot to get the puck out of the zone and Rick Rypien’s spinning pass to Darcy Hordichuk was the lone goal the Canucks would score that night. And why?

The Canucks sat back on their heels again that night; not playing to win, but not to lose. Need I remind everyone that this is the playoffs, where if the game is tied you don’t pocket a point in the standings, it’s all or nothing in overtime. A one goal lead is not enough, especially against the Chicago Blackhawks, who are capable of scoring in bunches. What the Canucks needed to be doing was playing “their game” for the full 60 minutes and they simply did not do that.

The team, I’m hoping, will enjoy some home cooking instead tonight. After getting that desired split in Chicago, there’s a bittersweet taste in their mouths knowing that after tonight they could still be going back to Chicago facing elimination as opposed to having the Hawks on the ropes going into tonight’s Game 5 affair. But I applaud the team’s attitude of putting their Game 4 woes behind them; that’s the kind of veteran talk which will help a team bounce back from stinging losses.

After squeaking out a greasy road win on Tuesday, perhaps now the Canucks can get back to their game of generating scoring chances off turnovers in their own end and a cycle game which has been their bread and butter all season. It seems apparent that one-goal leads are not safe against Chicago and the Canucks simply cannot afford to live life so dangerously when the game is at it’s most crucial stage.