Vancouver Canucks are Canada’s last hope of regaining Stanley Cup glory in the 2011 NHL Playoffs
Canada is suffering badly from a Stanley Cup drought for the past 18 years. The Calgary Flames won it in 1992 and brought the cup back but since then Canada has yet to see the cup on home soil. In the current National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs, Vancouver
is Canada’s last hope and it looks like the Canadian fans have placed their bets on the perfect team.
In their 40-year history, the Vancouver Canuck have not seen a better season than the 2010-2011 one and it will be a great way to celebrate their 40th anniversary while bringing home the cup. Montreal made it into the postseason but was eliminated
in the quarterfinals by the Boston Bruins who are now in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Calgary Flames were also strong contenders but during the final moments of the regulation season, they were thrown out of the fifth spot and down into the ninth after which they were unable to recover. Toronto went up and down throughout the season but
never made it into the top eight which was a depressing situation for fans of a team with such heritage as Toronto. The Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers were basically in the same situation and were ranked in the lower teams in their respective conferences.
Vancouver has a huge opportunity to raise Canada’s head high in the hockey world and come out of that complex moment in which critics are saying that the country which made the sport has failed to control it. The Canucks ended their season on a high note
and made themselves known as the best team in the league with a franchise record breaking 117 points in the season and winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time.
Vancouver’s Playoff Condition
The Canucks had a bit of trouble going into the playoffs which was quite a shock to the hockey world after seeing them dominate in the regular season. They had to face the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, in the quarter-finals. The
Blackhawks put up a tough fight even though they were barely able to make it into the postseason.
The series went into a game seven decider and the Vancouver Canucks barely managed to come out victorious with a game winning goal in overtime at Rogers Arena. After taking a 3-0 lead in the series, it was certainly appalling to see the Canucks lose to the
Hawks three times in a row as they nearly made history by making what would have been a huge disappointment.
Next in the line were the Nashville Predators who nearly gave Vancouver a run for their money but it seemed like they finally had learned from their mistakes. The Canucks were on the verge of advancing into the third round as they were ahead 3-1 after game
four, but lost in game five in which looked like another recovery moment. Nashville was finally thrown out in game six resulting in Vancouver’s advancement.
Their victory in game one of the Western Conference finals against San Jose was good but not great. They will have to grab a quick lead and maintain it if they want to secure future matchups. This time if the Canucks can grab a dominating lead in the series,
they should focus more on extending it rather than letting the other team take advantage.
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