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Hockey Night in Canada's Kelly
Hrudey:
I think this series will be a lot tougher than people
anticipate. Minnesota wll give Vancouver the same fight
they gave Colorado. The Wild can really frustrate the
Canucks when they play.
Minnesota's weakness is, in general, that the ability
of their defencemen isn't the highest in the league.
But as a team they play well defensively. They have
a very good transition game and they have more offence
and team speed then people give them credit -- which
is why they were sleepers against Colorado.
The Canucks play with a real passion for the game,
they play with speed and they're very well coached.
I think Vancouver will be less nervous for the start
of this series, but as it goes along their patience
will be tested because Minnesota will give them all
they can handle.
Prediction:
Vancouver in six
»
Hrudey's
picks | Harry
Neale's picks
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The
Canucks' season ended with a disappointing loss
to the L.A. Kings that cost them the Northwest
Division title on the season's final day. But
it would be wrong to sum up the Canucks' 2002-03
as anything but a triumph.
Vancouver
rides into the playoffs buoyed by the most successful
regular season in the team's 33-year history.
The Canucks set a franchise record with 104 points
and strung together a pair of franchise-best streaks.
Vancouver won 10 straight in November and had
a 14-game unbeaten string in January and February.
Vancouver's
top line of captain Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi
and Brendan Morrison put together another outstanding
season. Bertuzzi and Naslund were among the NHL
scoring leaders all season long. Both are certain
to garner Hart Trophy votes later this year. For
his part, Morrison played in all 82 games for
the third straight season and potted a career-high
71 points.
The
Canucks' biggest question mark heading into the
playoffs is in goal. Dan Cloutier posted a career-best
34 wins in 57 games and was reliable when called
upon. But he missed almost a month of the season
with a right knee injury and it continued to bother
him late into the season. His health is one of
the Canucks' main concerns, as rookie backup Alex
Auld has just six career starts and no postseason
experience.
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Why
would the lowest-scoring team among the playoff-bound
clubs strike fear among some of the Western Conferences
powerhouses? The answer is simple: award-winning
head coach Jacques Lemaire and his neutral-zone
trap.
The
stifling system that pushes defensive fundamentals
over run-and-gun flash has frustrated many a team
through the years and 2002-03 was no different.
The Wild allowed the second-fewest goals in the
Western Conference this season (178). Equally
impressive, Minnesota received a pair of stellar
goaltending performances from the platoon of Dwayne
Roloson and Manny Fernandez. Each set or equaled
career highs in wins, save-percentage and goals-against
average.
Sharpshooting
Marian Gaborik led the Wild with 65 points. However,
Minnesota lacked a clear secondary scoring option
-- something that could hurt them in the playoffs.
Left winger Pascal Dupuis was the only other player
to hit the 20-goal mark, while no other Wild skater
reached the 50-point plateau.
The
Wild, who are headed to their first postseason
in team history, have the lowest payroll in the
NHL at $21.1 million US. It didn't show in the
standings, as the Wild had a team-high 42 victories
for 95 points on the year.
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Season
Series
Vancouver won the season series 2-1-1
It hard to gauge how these teams match-up since the Canucks and the Wild have not met since January.
The two teams met five times during the regular season. The series was even 2-2-1.
The Canucks won the first two games at the Xcel Energy Arena in Minnesota by scores of 4-2 and 2-1. Big Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and two assists in the first game and Dan Cloutier stopped 27 of 28 shots in the second.
The Wild responded with wins in the next two games, 4-2 at GM Place in Vancouver and 5-2 back in Minnesota.
The Wild's Marian Gaborik figured prominently in both wins scoring a hat trick in the first game and scoring a goal and adding three assists in the second.
The final game in Vancouver on Jan. 28 ended 2-2.
The Wild are in the playoffs for the first time in their short three-year history and join fellow giant-killers in Anaheim as genuine wild cards for Round 2.
The Canucks, meanwhile, are in the playoffs for the third straight year. Their defeat of St. Louis was their first playoff series victory since 1995. Their past three games against the Blues silenced many doubters, who wondered about the club's killer instinct following a late-season swoon and mediocre performances early in Round 1.
The Canucks have been the Stanley Cup finals twice, 1994 and 1982.
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Western Conference
» (6) Minnesota
vs (7) Anaheim
Eastern Conference
» (1)
Ottawa vs (2) New Jersey
The Devils
react after winning their third Stanley Cup in the last decade.
» Full
Story
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