The first night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs produced two laughers, a very entertaining upset, and one impressive defensive performance.It was the Vancouver Canucks who put together the defense, holding off the St. Louis Blues 2-1.
While the Sedin twins played a big role in their team's win, the big key was a defense that held the Blues at bay during five-on-five play, and a penalty kill that shut down a red-hot power play.
The Blues knew going in that they couldn't afford to pass up opportunities on the power play. Vancouver is a very good defensive club, and they have possibly the best goalie in the league in Roberto Luongo. For the Blues to score goals and play with a lead, they were going to have to score with the man advantage.
Instead, the opposite happened. Yes, the Blues got one on the power play, but the Brad Boyes rebound goal late in the second period was too little, too late. St. Louis had already squandered their best chance to seize momentum, which came in the first period when they had a two-man advantage for 1:42.
The Blues got pucks deep, with players camped out on both sides of the net. They set up one-timers from the top of the faceoff circles. They held the puck virtually the whole time in the Vancouver zone.
Nothing worked.
When something actually got through to Luongo, it was virtually harmless and he made it look easy. The Canucks packed three players tight around the net, and they put on one of the more impressive efforts you'll ever see in a five-on-three kill.
It was as good as scoring a goal, because it killed the confidence of St. Louis' power play, and it set the tone for the game.
Friday night, the Blues have to find ways to generate more chances five-on-five. You can't count on seven power plays in a playoff game, because it doesn't always work out that way. St. Louis didn't have a single power play in the third period, and they got outshot 15-6 for the stanza. That shows you how impressive (or, perhaps, dominant) Vancouver was during times of even-strength play.
This was a fun game to watch, and it was a nice way for the Canucks to set the tone for this series.
