Rob The Hockey Guy

Let me start by saying that I don’t think the Canucks will win this series (ok maybe this article isn’t THAT positive). They’re down 3 games to 0 and that’s a near impossible deficit to erase. Even if they play excellent in the next four games, they’ll still need some luck.

But right now everyone in Vancouver is talking like the Canucks have already lost the series. Not so fast.

To win this series, the Canucks will need to fix some things. They will need to get more traffic in front of Jonathan Quick to manufacture some goals. They’ll also need to figure out a way to score on the power play. They will to limit the Kings chances and get great goaltending, as they did in game 3. The Canucks were the better team in game 3, but found a way to lose. If they show that same kind of effort and get some confidence and puck luck, they will be hard to beat.

So how can the Canucks come back? Well, the return of Daniel Sedin would be a good start. He has flown to Los Angeles to practice with his teammates. That suggests to me there’s a decent chance of him playing in game 4. Of course, the mere presence of Daniel Sedin does not ensure a Vancouver victory.

In order for Vancouver to win this series, here’s how it will have to go down:

Game 4: The Kings start the game overconfident, knowing that teams don’t often blow 3-0 leads and taking the Canucks for granted. The Canucks on the other hand come out with a chip on their shoulder, outwork the Kings in every facet of the game and score some goals.

Game 5: The Canucks have a lot more confidence and are still desperate, but now they have the attention of the Kings. The Kings increase their level of play and make things difficult for Vancouver. The Canucks use the emotion of their now boisterous crowd as a catalyst.

Game 6: The Kings now have all the pressure on them. They have blown two straight chances to close out the series and now are desperate not to go back to Vancouver. The Canucks are on a roll.

Game 7: The Kings have lost three in a row and the Canucks have won three in a row. The Kings are petrified of blowing the series and look nervous and tentative.

This probably won’t happen, but if it does happen, that’s how I think it will go down.