It's not common that a team is swept out of the first round just a year after winning the Stanley Cup, but with a loss on Tuesday night in Game 4 against the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks, that's exactly what could happen to the Chicago Blackhawks in these 2011 NHL playoffs.
Canucks Vs. Blackhawks, Game 4: Vancouver Hopes To Avenge Past, Sweep Defending Champs
They'll be without defenseman Brent Seabrook as they attempt to hold off the Canucks, who have beaten them with timely scoring and fantastic goaltending from Roberto Luongo over the first three games of this series. That's really been the biggest difference in the series thus far, too.
It’s not that the Canucks are absolutely rolling over the Blackhawks, but a large part of their success has come from Luongo getting in an early groove in each game. By doing so, he’s been able to frustrate Chicago’s scorers to the point where they start taking more risks, and thus they miss the net more and do things that obviously don’t help when it comes to winning.
The key to winning in Game 4, and thus extending the season, is getting Luongo out of his comfort zone early. It’s all on the line tonight, and Chicago will have to play that way to keep their Cup defense alive.
For more on this one, check in with our blogs: Nucks Misconduct for the Vancouver perspective, Second City Hockey from Chicago. You can find full SBNation.com coverage here.
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