2011 Stanley Cup Finals: Vancouver Canucks’ defender Dan Hamhuis injured in Game 1 against Boston Bruins
Vancouver Canucks emerged victorious during the final seconds of Game 1 of the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals against Boston Bruins at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, but faced a setback as it saw its key defenseman, Dan Hamhuis, going out in the second period with a perceptible injury.
It was four minutes into the thrilling match that Hamhuis made a low hit on Boston’s forward attacker, Milan Lucic, which sent him flying and badly landing on ice, hurting his leg in the incident.
Vancouver’s coach, Alain Vigneault, remained silent on the matter since he did not want to spread the news that Hamhuis may not be able to play Game 2, thus, creating a stir about Canucks’ prospect of performance in the next game.
Vigneault was discrete and all he said was that he is fine, calling it a day-to-day situation for now.
"Going down to five D midway through the second, with the intensity that was out there, was obviously taxing on our group", Vigneault said, avoiding talking about Hamhuis’s situation any further. "I thought the five guys that handled the workload did a real good job of sharing the time. I thought our best period was our third period. We were down to five D at that time".
Hamhuis is a key defender for Canucks, relying majorly on defence throughout the series.
The Stanley Cup Finals have always been high scoring matchups in the past, but it is all about goaltending this season.
Roberto Luongo, Canucks’ veteran goalie, took the first shutout of the series as he locked down Bruins’ offense with 36 perfect saves.
If Hamhuis is unable to return for the next game or maybe even the remainder of the series, Vancouver will definitely face a tough time in blocking Bruins’ offensive onslaught.
Kevin Bieksa, who paired up with Hamhuis to block the opposition, will have to find another player to create similar chemistry between them.
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals is scheduled to be played on Saturday, June 4th, at the Rogers Arena, Vancouver, and only time will tell if Canucks will play with or without Hamhuis.
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