Five things Vancouver Canucks must do in Game 5 against San Jose Sharks: 2011 NHL Play-offs Final
The Vancouver Canucks are back in the same position they were in the National Hockey League (NHL) Play-off Western Conference semi-finals and quarter-finals as they have put San Jose on the verge of elimination and have the opportunity to throw them out
in Game 5 on Tuesday.
The Western Conference Finals series will be returning to the Canucks home-town for Game 5 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, giving them a sure advantage to advance into the final round and finally win their first Stanley Cup in franchise
history.
In Game 4, which the Canucks dominated, they turned the tables around in a different manner and established a new way for winning which was to take fewer, but quality shots.
Vancouver had only 13 shots compared to San Jose’s 35, which is a huge difference especially in play-off matches. Killing their penalties and not allowing the opposing team to capitalise on the added-man-advantages was a big factor in their victory. On the
other hand, firing three consecutive goals on power-plays of their own was the best strategy they could have adopted.
Looking ahead to Game 5, Vancouver must take into respect five things which will surely help them in eliminating the Sharks once and for all.
Keep Killing the Penalties
Giving penalties is almost unavoidable in the game of ice-hockey where playing physical is a key factor to win games, but Vancouver truly showed their capability when it came to locking down the other team short-handedly. Minimising the penalties and at
the same time shutting down the opposition, while a down-man will certainly boost their chances of scoring more while taking less.
Plan out plays
Something we saw change in Game 4 from the first three games was Vancouver’s ability to execute well planned out plays, if they really prepare in advance. Leaving the match up to fate is not going to help them and they know, but being the number one league
entering the play-offs made them overconfident and luckily they were not eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round which they were so close to being.
Motivate the Sedins-Kesler Trio
A winning factor for the Canucks throughout the regulation season and up until now had been the team chemistry between the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel playing alongside Ryan Kesler. Up for the Conn Smythe trophy in this year’s NHL playoffs, Kesler has
been a dominating force with the assistance of the Sedins. They open up plays and Kesler scores. Without these three performers, Vancouver would be in the same state the Edmonton Oilers are right now.
Be More Physical
Vancouver is not known to be a physical team and that is something that has always hindered their performance from reaching its peak. San Jose is physical and they throw a lot of punches whenever they get the chance to. Physical play will help the Canucks
not only dominate, but finally take control of the match instead of winning due to spontaneous shooting which has been the case so far.
Defend Roberto Luongo
Luongo can get stressed out at times like in Game 3, when he felt as if his fellow defensemen had not defended him properly. The Canucks' players are too focused on scoring rather than defending, which have disabled Roberto Luongo from performing at his
level. They should draw a line on what the defensemen should be doing and should not do so that their defence stays more secure.
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