There's a video out there of a few members of the Vancouver Canucks hanging out in the locker room prior to their 2010 playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks. An interviewer prompts them with a tape of "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis, which, of course, is the Blackhawks' goal song at United Center.
NHL Playoffs 2011, Blackhawks Vs. Canucks: Can Vancouver Live Up To Expectations, Finally Bury Chicago?
The Canucks are clearly horrified in this video by the sound of the song in their headset, and there’s a pretty simple reason why. A year earlier in 2009, the Blackhawks eliminated the Canucks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals on seven goals at the UC. That’s seven Daggers of Chelsea to send you into the summer.
Of course, the Canucks got used to the tune in that 2010 series as well as the Blackhawks advanced and ultimately won the Stanley Cup. This season, though, things are much, much different. The Blackhawks are the defending Champs and they deserve a ton of respect for that, but in the grand scheme of things, this is a No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup in the first round of the postseason.
The Canucks should have the edge, but will Chicago prove to have a mental edge on the President’s Trophy winners?
Goaltending
Roberto Luongo certainly returned to form this season, didn't he? After a 2009-10 campaign that saw his even strength save percentage drop to a modest .925 over 68 games, Vancouver's masked man pushed that number to .934 this season, behind only Tim Thomas among goalies who have played at least 25 games.
Consider that he's played behind a ravaged defense for a good chunk of the year and his numbers get even more impressive. In overall save percentage, Luongo was right up there with the league leaders -- well behind Thomas but right in the hunt with Pekka Rinne and his backup, Cory Schneider.
Yes, even Vancouver’s backup goaltender, who played 25 games and thus received a share of the William Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goalies on the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season, had a stellar season. Goaltending is a strength for the Canucks, to say the least.
In Chicago, they expected veteran Marty Turco to take the reins and run after he signed last offseason. Instead, rookie Corey Crawford has stepped into the spotlight, and at the same time, he's inserted himself into Calder Trophy discussion. He's not Luongo, to be sure, but Crawford's ability to keep the Blackhawks in games is a big reason why they were able to qualify for the postseason.
In any event, edge to the Canucks.
Forwards
Secondary scoring was possibly the reason the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup a year ago, and it’s no secret that that part of their team was decimated by offseason moves.
Guys like Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd are gone, and the replacement parts aren't nearly as potent. Outside of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, Chicago is relatively easy to keep in check offensively.
Meanwhile, the Canucks have more than just the Sedin twins (although shutting that top line of the Sedins plus Alex Burrows down to an extent is clearly a goal for the Blackhawks). There's Ryan Kesler, who scored 41 goals this season to tie Daniel Sedin for the team lead, Mikael Samuelsson and Mason Raymond. Raffi Torres will also be back in time for Game 4 after serving the rest of his four-game suspension.
Losing Manny Malhotra certainly hurts Vancouver, as he's exactly the guy who would go up against Chicago's big guns in a shutdown role. Still, Vancouver has the advantage.
Edge: Canucks.
Defensemen
After several seasons worth of injuries on the blueline this year, the Canucks are finally healthy in time for the playoffs. There's no underestimating how important that is to the team, even though they were able to still play at a high level with all of their injuries this season. Dan Hamhuis is back. Alex Edler is back. Christian Ehrhoff and Kevin Bieksa are still around. This is all huge for Vancouver.
At the same time, Chicago has one of the best top pairings in the league with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, the addition of Chris Campoli has been fantastic and Brian Campbell is having a decent year as well. On the whole, these teams offer similar packages on the blueline. It's a push.
Special Teams
Both teams are fantastic on the power play, while only the Canucks have a particularly solid penalty kill. Vancouver leads the league on the PP with a 25.3 percent success rate and their penalty kill is ranked No. 3 in the NHL. Chicago, meanwhile, finished the season No. 4 on the PP, but all the way down at No. 25 on the penalty kill.
Edge: Canucks.
Series Schedule
Game 1: Wed., April 13 at 10 p.m.
Game 2: Fri., April 15 at 10 p.m.
Game 3: Sun., April 17 at 8 p.m.
Game 4: Tues., April 19 at 8 p.m.
Game 5*: Thurs., April 21 at 10 p.m.
Game 6*: Sun., April 24 at 8 p.m.
Game 7*: Tues., April 26 at TBD
For more on the defending Cup champs, head to SB Nation’s Second City Hockey. If you want the perspective from Vancouver, be sure to check in with our friends at Nucks Misconduct.
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