CBC-Sports

Vigneault makes the right moves

May 6, 2009 05:04 PM | Posted by   Craig Simpson  

To most coaches, getting a 3-0 lead on the road in a hostile building would be a significant relief.

You couldn’t blame Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault if he was more than a bit nervous when for the third game in a row his team started strong and took the lead. In Games 1 and 2, Vancouver got seduced into playing an up-tempo, run-and-gun game with the Blackhawks, and the Hawks made them pay.

In Game 3, however, the Canucks played the style of game that got them to the second round of the playoffs to perfection: slow the game down, take away the middle of the ice, get the puck deep and let Luongo see the puck.

Perfect road game

Game 3 was by no means a work of art in terms of entertainment, but for the Canucks it was masterful execution of their game plan. On the road, with the United Center filled to the rafters with screaming fans, the Canucks played a perfect road game. They forechecked hard, they took the body, they slowed down the Blackhawks’ speed and they kept getting pucks deep. This was by far the most complete game of the series for Vancouver, and according to their captain Roberto Luongo, the team’s best game of the playoffs.

The playoffs are all about making adjustments from game to game, and credit head coach Alain Vigneault with making all the right moves.

His adjustments to the forecheck and neutral zone play slowed the speedy Hawks down considerably and forced Chicago to make turnovers and get frustrated. Vigneault didn’t allow his team to get sucked into playing a wide-open, trading chances type of game.

Vigneault, players answered challenge

His lineup changes also paid off. Moving the speedy Mason Raymond up with Mats Sundin and Ryan Kesler made immediate dividends. Kesler and Raymond used their speed to challenge the Hawks’ defence and their quick forechecking ability paid off in the game’s all-important first goal. With Pavol Demitra out, Taylor Pyatt drew in and his line, which included Kyle Wellwood and Steve Bernier, also played well, and gave Vigneault good balance in his lines.

The Canucks and their coach answered the challenge after a disappointing split in Vancouver, which cost them home-ice advantage. Now that they have it back, it will be interesting to see if the young and talented Chicago Blackhawks have enough experience and know-how to bounce back and make it a series.

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