Canucks lose series 4-1

Well, that’s it. The Vancouver Canucks are done for this season. The Annaheim Ducks defeated the Canucks 2-1 (2OT) in their Western Conference Semifinal, taking the best-of-seven series 4-1.

Heart-breaking and frustrating.

Frustrating because the Canucks could just not CLEAR THE ZONE. The result: 58 shots on Roberto Luongo, 27 shots on Giguere. An imbalance like that is just asking for trouble. It’s remarkable that Luongo was even able to keep the game close, let alone in to the 2nd OT.

The Canucks lost this series because our defense couldn’t handle the Ducks’ fore-checking. Every time the Canucks gained possession we could not clear the zone, whether due to intercepted passes, turn-overs or what have you. Canucks COULD NOT CLEAR THE ZONE. In contrast, for the vast majority of time the Ducks’ defense was able to skate the puck out of their zone at will.

The Canucks lost this series because our top scorers did not score. Canucks that were supposed to score, didn’t. For all the positive press the Sedin twins received for their performance in the regular season, the Ducks (and the Dallas Stars) for the most part shut them down in the playoffs. Contrast this with the Ottawa Senators, where Spezza, Alfreddson, and Heatley are expected to get points, and they do.

I’m not placing blame for the loss on individuals--I’m just mentioning areas where I think the Canucks need to improve if we’re to do better in 2008.

Hockey is a team game, and our team lost.