NHL News | May 8, 2010

Blackhawks pound Canucks 7-4

By Brad Ziemer
May 8, 2010


Vancouver, BC — The Vancouver Canucks lost their composure Friday night and now they are just one loss away from losing their season.

The Chicago Blackhawks made the Canucks pay for a series of undisciplined penalties, scoring four power-play goals en route to an easy 7-4 win at General Motors Place that gave them a 3-1 stranglehold on the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

Game 5 goes Sunday night in Chicago (5 p.m., CBC, Team 1040). The Canucks have to win that one and the next two to advance to the conference finals.

Based on their performance Friday night, that seems like a tall order.

The Canucks allowed the Hawks to score in the opening minute of both the first and second periods, got shaky goaltending from Roberto Luongo and were outclassed by a Hawks team whose stars shone.

Captain Jonathan Toews led the way with a hat trick. He also added a pair of assists in what was a dominating performance.

"There is no explanation, we lost our composure again," said Luongo. "I don't know why it happened. We talked about it and we were all on the same page before the game started."

Defenceman Shane O'Brien and Daniel Sedin were two of the culprits. O'Brien took back-to-back cross-checking penalties on Chicago winger Dustin Byfuglien in the first period. The Hawks scored their first power-play goal while O'Brien was serving his second minor.

"I just wanted to make it a little harder on him than he's had it all series," O'Brien said. "I guess I proved everyone right and took a couple of stupid ones and they ended up scoring on one of them. He has been doing pretty much anything he wants. What can you say."

O'Brien didn't play much after that. He was stapled to the bench for most of the second half of the first period and almost the entire second period.

Daniel Sedin was sent off for two minors midway through the second period — an interference call on Chicago defenceman Brent Seabrook and a cross-check on forward Kris Versteeg — and the Hawks scored on both of the ensuing power plays.

"If it's right or wrong, it doesn't matter, it cost us the game," Daniel said of the calls. "If you need to stay out of the box to win games, that's what we've got to do.

"I don't know if I lost my composure. On the first one, I don't know what happened there. I took Seabrook to the net and he fell down … On the second one, I shouldn't put myself in that situation, my stick is broken … it's a tough call and it cost us the game."

There were many others who should share the blame. Luongo set the tone for the game when he was beaten on a soft 30-foot wrist shot by Seabrook 18 seconds after the opening whistle. The Canucks did answer just over a minute later when Kyle Wellwood tipped a pass from behind the net from Mikael Samuelsson past Chicago goalie Antti Niemi.

Toews got his first of the night at 9:23 of the first when he beat Luongo high to the stick side from the left circle. But the Canucks again responded with a power-play goal of their own when Daniel Sedin flipped a rebound off an Alex Burrows shot past Niemi at the 14:36 mark.

Things began to unravel in the second period when the Hawks scored three straight goals, all of them on the power play, to take a 5-2 lead.

An errant clearing attempt by Vancouver centre Ryan Kesler ended up on the stick of Toews, who had a clear path to the net and beat Luongo glove side just 27 seconds into the second to break a 2-2 tie. Patrick Sharp, on a rebound off a Patrick Kane shot, made it 4-2 at the 12:47 mark. Three minutes later, Toews scored on a 5-on-3 power play to put the Hawks up by three.

Canucks defenceman Alex Edler scored on a Vancouver power play to make it 5-3 after 40 minutes.

Tomas Kopecky scored seven seconds after an Andrew Alberts penalty had expired seven minutes into the third period to restore Chicago's three-goal lead.

Henrik Sedin got that one back at 14:37 when he converted an Alex Burrows pass from behind the net, but Dave Bolland added an empty-netter with 37 seconds left.

So the Canucks head to Chicago to try and do something they have managed to accomplish three times in team history — come back from 3-1 down to win a series. They did it in 1992 against Winnipeg, in 1994 vs. Calgary and in 2003 against St. Louis.

But with the way the Hawks are playing it seems too steep a mountain to climb for a Canuck team that has been badly outclassed the past two games.

"We have to refocus," Luongo said. "The series is not over. Maybe a lot of people think it's over, but it has been done before. The Canadiens came back against Washington. But to do that we need everybody on the same page and that's the only way we are going to get it done."

Toews tied a franchise record for most points in a playoff game. He now shares it with Stan Mikita and Steve Larmer.

"You don't ever expect to have games like tonight, but you work hard and once in while you are bound to get some bounces," Toews said. "I was lucky to score a couple of big goals tonight … it was great to help the team that way."

ICE CHIPS: Coach Alain Vigneault juggled his lineup for the game. Veteran winger Pavol Demitra and fellow forward Rick Rypien were scratched and replaced by rookie Michael Grabner and Tanner Glass.

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