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Experience is not only a valuable and wonderful thing for players but for coaches.

 

Over a four-year period Alain Vigneault has learned a lot about the players he has to work with in Vancouver and uses them differently now that he knows there capabilities. Part of the reason the Canucks are able to come from behind and win games is Vigneault's use of the Sedin twins.  

 

He doesn't use them to kill penalties too often, thus keeping their minutes down, but then he can use them a lot when he needs offence. The Sedins are in excellent condition and recover quickly so he uses them every second shift during periods of time when the Canucks need goals and there aren't many checking lines that can stay with them.  

 

There were several times in the series with LA when the Sedins were late in a shift creating chances when the defenders were absolutely and thoroughly gassed.  

 

Henrik Sedin said before the playoffs that his experience has taught him to play his game and not change because of situations that arise and then he went out and proved it. The Sedins didn't change their game in the series and in the end they were the line that made the difference, as a first line should.

 

Roberto Luongo had an unusual regular season, as he was pulled seven times and let in more bad goals than in any other campaign with the Canucks. Even in the first few games of the playoffs it looked like an imposter was wearing his sweater but he made timely saves and by the last two games looked like the old Luongo who didn't give up rebounds and seemed big and confident. If this is the Luongo opponents see the rest of the way the Canucks can play for awhile.

 

Luongo was brought to Vancouver in a great trade by then GM Dave Nonis. The Sedins were drafted by Brian Burke. In fact the core group of players that have the Canucks in the second round and that could take them beyond are the foundation built from a previous management group that was fired . 

 

Mike Gillis did a nice job in bringing in Mikael Samuelsson and received a gift from San Jose in Christian Erhoff but from the Sedins to Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Alex Edler and beyond, this is the group that Burke and Nonis put together and didn't get the chance to watch grow. Now the experience they've had is starting to show.

 

No so quick

 

Looked to me like Jonathan Quick ran out of gas and lost confidence. The Kings goaltender played over a 1,000 minutes more this season than at any other time in his career. He limped into the playoffs, started well but then faded under the weight of pressure and fatigue.   

 

Next year he'll either have Jonathan Bernier as his backup or he'll be the second guy. Either way the Kings will get better in goal, have a young and improving defence with stars Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson and without any flash Matt Greene might have been the best defenceman the Kings had in the playoffs. Most teams build from the goal out and the Kings have a great start in that direction .

 

Three stars of the series

 

1) Mikael Samuelsson: Seven goals to tie a Canuck single series record (Bure in '95). Not a bad fit with the Sedins is he? The three Swedes had 29 points in the series and Samuelsson's calm presence and finish was a delight for the Canucks

 

2) Roberto Luongo: Probably gave Canuck fans fits at times early in the series but made three memorable saves that helped turn the tide. In Game 1 his goal-line sweep in overtime to deny Jack Johnson made sure the Kings didn't take a 1-0 lead. His Game 4 save on Alex Frolov's breakaway kept the Canucks within one before they came back to win. And his glove save on Ryan Smyth in Game 6 told everyone that he was back on top of his game and as lucky as it may have been told, his team he wasn't letting in anything so they could go ahead and make a comeback.

 

3) Drew Doughty: Henrik Sedin should have been the third star, but he'll be a star moving forward while the 20-year-old Doughty goes to the sidelines. But the LA blue-liner made you think, just like at the Olympics, that he won't be knocked out of the first round very often in the future. Doughty played big minutes against top players and while he watched a lot of Sedin goals he was also a big part of a power play that just about won the series for the Kings.

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