Vancouver Canucks needs more from Ryan Kesler against Boston Bruins –NHL Stanley Cup Finals Update
No matter how Vancouver Canucks managed to win in Game 5 of the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals’ series against Boston Bruins, it is still in need of its American All-Star, Ryan Kesler, when the series returns to the TD Center in Boston,
Massachusetts, on Monday, June 13th, for Game 6.
The Canucks second-line centre has not participated in two consecutive games now after being hit by Boston’s Johnny Boychuk and speculations about him being injured are spreading around the hockey world like wildfire.
Vancouver has not as of yet confirmed or denied his injury and it looks like they will not until this series is done and over with.
“They’re keying on Ryan, they’re keying on the twins. They have a good defense, they have a good team”, said Canucks’ forward, Mason Raymond, who along with another teammate is filling Kesler’s gap. “There’s not a lot of space out there. It’s tight checking.
For Ryan, I think he’s going to thrive off that”.
Vancouver’s second like consists of Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond and Christopher Higgins who without a doubt have been outplayed by their opposition in Boston which consists of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi.
"I think they've got to try and get on the inside a little bit more", Vancouver’s coach, Alain Vigneault, said of his second liners. "That whole line has great speed and when they do get the puck on the fly, they can take it to the net”.
Kesler has only one point in the Finals’ series so far in which he assisted the game winning shot in Game 1 by Raffi Torres.
The 26-year-old has a total of seven goals and 12 assists in the postseason so far and has been a major factor in winning games for Canucks in the playoffs.
His performance in the previous series against Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks is worth mentioning but so far against Boston Bruins, the young superstar is yet to show his performance.
Vancouver is on the path to its first Stanley Cup and Kesler is a player of immense importance since the Sedin Twins are also facing a slump of their own.
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