Rob The Hockey Guy

Hey, did you read my blog posting yesterday titled: “Canucks-Blackhawks Game 4 Preview – Get Your Brooms Ready“? Whoops! Well it appears some of the Canucks did, because they looked like an overconfident team in game 4. The Blackhawks have life.

The Blackhawks showed the heart of a champion in game 4, refusing to give up and giving by far their best effort of the series. The Canucks weren’t ready for it. Combine that with a brutal game from the referees and the fact that Roberto Luongo was unable to bail out his teammates, and you end up with a 7-2 win for the Blackhawks.

So that’s the bad news. The good news? It’s only one game. It really doesn’t matter if you lose 7-2 or 3-2 when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

So what went wrong? Two things. The Canucks clearly weren’t ready for the push from the Blackhawks, which is a little concerning. They needed the killer instinct. They didn’t have it. And they paid for it.

What else went wrong? The Blackhawks were  a lot better. Sure, they were missing Brent Seabrook on defense, but they also got Dave Bolland back. They also were able to put Patrick Sharp back at centre, which gave them three lines that they were comfortable with. That’s a big change from the one line team they had in games 1-3.

So Canucks fans, should we freak out? Should we lose our minds? Of course not. It’s one game, and it’s a kick in the butt for the Canucks. The Blackhawks have life, and they have the attention of the Vancouver Canucks. Game 5 promises to be a beauty.