Sources: NHL.com and TSN.ca

The Skinny

Nobody that’s still standing has played as much playoff hockey this season than the Canucks, who emerged from a thrilling seven-game first-round win against the Dallas Stars. In total, the Canucks played seven games, plus six additional periods of overtime, essentially competing in the equivalent of nine games in the first round. That’s a lot of hockey, especially when you have a date with the fearsome Ducks to look forward to.

Anaheim made quick work of the defensively sound Wild in the first round and continued to flash their deep scoring attack. They can put the puck in the net and they can play as big as anyone left in the tournament. Their forwards love to hit and as impressive as the Ducks are moving the puck around the rink, they’re just as happy to move opponents out of their way, too. The Ducks are mean and nasty and they’re on a mission, which could be a lot for the tired Canucks to deal with.

Vancouver didn’t score much in the first round. But in the games they scored at least a goal, they came out on top, thanks to the play of Roberto Luongo in net. As good as Luongo was in the first round, he wasn’t the best goalie in that series. The second-round matchup with the tandem of Ilya Bryzgalov and J.S. Giguere might also be a classic.

The Canucks let the Stars back into the series and were forced to go the distance in the first round. Could that lack of focus come back to hurt them?

Anaheim Ducks
Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 48-20-14, 110 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 3-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: -
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 2003
Last Postseason Appearance: 2006
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Scott Niedermayer (3).

Team Analysis: Jacques Lemaire has long been known as a defensive specialist behind the bench, and Randy Carlyle welcomed his style of play with open arms throughout the first round. Playing, sound defensive hockey of their own, the Ducks hammered out three straight one-goal victories against the Wild and allowed just two power play goals in 27 chances. As with the early rounds last season, the Ducks got a lot of offence from the blueline. Chris Pronger leads all Ducks skaters in scoring with six points, while Francois Beauchemin and Scott Niedermayer have three points apiece. Up front, the Ducks' shutdown line of Samuel Pahlsson, Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer haven't only been frustrating opposing forwards, but have made big contributions on offense with three points each. If Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry and Andy McDonald (who combined for three goals and two assists in Round 1) get going, they'll be even tougher to beat in the second round. Netminder Jean Sebastien Giguere (given time off to be with his wife and their son) was out for the final three games of the regular season and the first three games of the playoffs until he returned in the closing minutes of Game 4 and all of Game 5. Ilya Bryzgalov started in his place and held the Wild to a total of four goals in the opening three games before giving up all the goals in the loss at Minnesota. Giguere - who was excellent in Game 5 - should be back in regular duty in Round 2.


Anaheim Game Breakers


Chris Pronger – He plays defense, as we all know. But Pronger was Anaheim’s leading scorer in the first round with two goals and six points in the one-sided series win against Minnesota. In addition to helping produce on the offensive end, Pronger was regularly seeing ice time (a team-high 28:27 per) against the opposition’s top scoring lines. In the first round against the Wild, Pronger helped put the clamps on an enemy attack that mustered only nine goals in the series.


Scott Niedermayer – With three Cups on his resume and two of the quickest feet in the game, Niedermayer can literally change a game with a coast-to-coast rush from behind his own net. While Pronger brings the size and strength to the Anaheim blue line, Niedermayer brings loads of playoff experience, the ability to also take on the opponents’ top scoring threats, as well as quarterback the Ducks’ power play, which was the top-ranked unit in the postseason in the first round. Niedermayer was second on the team in ice time behind Pronger with 27:32 per game.


Francois Beauchemin – You’re saying, ‘Where are all the forwards?’ But here’s the thing when it comes to the Ducks: they have plenty of forwards capable of breaking open a game. Few teams actually have three defensemen capable of doing it, and Beauchemin is probably the most underrated player in the League. Such is life playing behind two thoroughbreds like Pronger and Niedermayer, but the 26-year old Beauchemin has proven to be every bit as good as those two Norris-caliber defensemen. He plays one second less per game than Niedermayer at 27:31 per, suffered a cracked jaw in the first round and was still one of Anaheim’s best players with two goals and a plus-1 in the first round. In his first game back after the jaw injury, Beauchemin led all Ducks skaters with 28:32 of ice time.

Vancouver Canucks
Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 49-26-7, 105 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 1-3
Last Stanley Cup Win: -
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1994
Last Postseason Appearance: 2004
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: None.

Team Analysis: There are no ifs, ands or buts about what the Canucks need to survive the second round. This team needs to score goals, goals and more goals. Alain Vigneault's squad was blanked three times in the first round by Dallas, and it never looks good when high profile scorers like Markus Naslund and the Sedins are held off the scoresheet. After a seven-game set with the Stars, Trevor Linden, Mattias Ohlund, Taylor Pyatt, Bryan Smolinski and Henrik Sedin led all Vancouver skaters with two goals apiece - and two of those goals were empty netters. Bad offence also means a bad power play, and the Canucks have the worst among the advancing teams with just two goals. Though the forwards haven't been scoring, they have certainly boasted their share of blocked shots. And if a shot does get through, the saving grace has been Roberto Luongo. The Vezina Trophy hopeful has kept the Canucks in every game and was the big difference from a 2-0 deficit becoming an 8-0 deficit. All he needs is some added run support.

Vancouver Game Breakers


Roberto Luongo – Luongo was great in the first round, but you can make a fine argument that he was not better than Marty Turco, who shut out Vancouver three times in the series. But in the final, deciding game, Luongo was the man, stopping 19 of 20 shots with his season on the line. After allowing Dallas’ lone goal in the first period, he was unbeatable. The save he made on Stu Barnes midway through the third period of Game 7 stood up as the biggest one he made in the series, an example of how valuable he is to the Canucks. Now if they would just block a few more shots for him.


Henrik Sedin – When the Canucks needed their stars most in Game 7, Sedin was one of those who admirably stepped up to fight off elimination. Sedin scored the tying goal in the second period against Dallas and then helped to set up Trevor Linden’s winner. A shifty playmaker, his brother, who has very similar DNA, led the Canucks with 36 goals in the regular season so he will be counted on to find the net more than he did in the first round when he scored two goals against Dallas in the defensive opening series.


Taylor Pyatt – Some people used to call him Taylor “Quiet” because he never really said much, but his play in the playoffs has spoken volumes as he tied for the team lead with five points in the first round. It was Pyatt’s empty-net goal in Game 7 that iced the series for the Canucks. Scoring two goals and three assists in the first round was an accomplishment against a dominant Turco and Pyatt figures to attract plenty of attention from the Anaheim defense.

X Factors


Teemu Selanne – The Ducks are among the deepest teams left in the tournament, which makes Selanne’s scoring output less important than ever. If he can’t get it done, the Ducks have plenty of shooters capable of putting the puck in the net. But when Selanne is in the zone, Anaheim is a better team by leaps and bounds. Still one of the dangerous shooters in the game, Selanne scored 48 goals in the regular season. But in the first round, Minnesota’s checkers held the Finnish Flash to one goal and two points in the series. Nobody wants to win a Cup in the room more than the 36-year old Selanne, so bank on him finding a groove as the tournament unfolds. Getting him going makes Anaheim that much more monstrous.


Trevor Linden – Another senior citizen, by hockey standards, Linden is like a second captain in the Vancouver dressing room. With 119 playoff games under his belt, Linden’s experience and street smarts were invaluable with the series on the line against the Stars. He scored the game-winning goal (his second of the tournament) in Game 7 and finished the first round tied with Pyatt for the team scoring lead with five points. At 37-years-old, Linden may not have many more chances to play for the Stanley Cup either.

SERIES SCHEDULE

GM 1: Canucks @ Ducks
Wed. 4/25 10 pm, VERSUS, CBC

GM 2: Canucks @ Ducks
Fri. 4/27 10 pm, VERSUS, CBC

GM 3: Ducks @ Canucks
Sun. 4/29 8:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC

GM 4: Ducks @ Canucks
Tue. 5/1 10 pm, VERSUS, CBC

*GM 5: Canucks @ Ducks
Thu. 5/3 9:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC

*GM 6: Ducks @ Canucks
Sun. 5/6 8:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC

*GM 7: Canucks @ Ducks
Tue. 5/8 TBD VERSUS, CBC
* if necessary
- ALL TIMES EASTERN

FIVE FAST FACTS

1. Thrice is nice -- Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger have both won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, but there’s a third Norris in the Ducks’ locker room. Head coach Randy Carlyle won the award in 1981.

2. Puck stops here -- As good as Luongo was in the first round, finishing the seven-game series with a 1.41 GAA and a .950 save-percentage, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the Conn Smythe Winner in 2003, holds a 0.87 GAA and a .968 save-percentage after seeing time in only two games.

3. Two minutes for hooking -- Anaheim was the most-penalized team in the regular season, drawing 1,427 penalty minutes, an average of 17.8 minutes per game.

4. Working overtime -- The longest game so far in the playoffs was played in Game 1 of the Vancouver-Dallas series, the Canucks picking up a 5-4 win in four overtimes. Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa led the team with 54:27 of ice time, nearly a full regulation game.

5. Recipe for success? -- Vancouver won every game they scored at least one goal in the first round. The three losses they suffered against the Stars were by shutout.

QUOTABLE

“I asked them right away when I could play. They told me not in Game 4, but I could probably play in Game 5. I was pretty excited about it.” – Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin recounts the conversation he had with trainers after a puck cracked his jaw in the first round against Minnesota

“I know how much this city wanted this. For us, we wanted it just as bad. I’ve been here a long time. I understand; I understand the heartache.” – Trevor Linden after finally winning a series in seven games after two straight Game 7 losses on home ice the last two playoffs

CRYSTAL BALL

The Ducks will win if... they can get to Luongo. The Vancouver defense seems to let a lot get to their goalie and if the Ducks start crashing Luongo’s cage like the Stars did in the first round, you’re going to see a frustrated goaltender. Luongo took a swipe at some Stars in the first round when they got too close, and the Ducks seem like a team that loves to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. The Anaheim attack is deep and balanced and if they can keep Vancouver’s few snipers on the perimeter, it should be an easy advance for the Ducks.

The Canucks will win if... they can skate with the Ducks and limit their scoring chances. Luongo is a spectacular goalie capable of snatching an entire series on his own, but the only way the Canucks survive this one is to get down, block more shots, clear the big Anaheim forwards from in front of their net and limit the opposition’s chances in transition. They also must stay out of the penalty box against the top-ranked Ducks power play. If they give Anaheim too many chances, this series will be over in a hurry.

STATISTICAL KEYS

- Anaheim ranked third in the league on the power play, with a 22.4% success rate. Vancouver ranked 18th at 17.2%.

- Anaheim ranked fifth in the league in penalty killing, with an 85.1% success rate. Vancouver led the league at at 86.9%.

- Samuel Pahlsson (181), Chris Kunitz (159) and Travis Moen (128) are the Ducks' leading hitters.

- Matt Cooke (209), Kevin Bieksa (109) and Mattias Ohlund (106) are the Canucks' leading hitters.

- Andy McDonald is the Ducks' top face-off man -- 55.4%.

- Henrik Sedin is the Canucks' top face-off man -- 52.5%.

- Anaheim's Teemu Selanne led the league with 25 power play goals.

- Anaheim's Teemu Selanne tied for the league lead with 10 game-winning goals.

- Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer ranked second in the league with 27:30 of ice time per game.

- Anaheim's George Parros led the league with 18 major penalties this year.

- Vancouver's Daniel Sedin led the league with four overtime winning goals.

- Teemu Selanne led the Ducks with six points in four games against the Canucks this year.

- Daniel Sedin led the Canucks with three points in four games against the Ducks this year.

- Travis Moen and Sean O'Donnell led the Ducks with a plus-2 in Round One.

- Trevor Linden led the Canucks with a plus-4 in Round One.

- Chris Pronger led the Ducks with 28:28 of ice time per game in Round One.

- Kevin Bieksa led the Canucks with 28:37 of ice time per game in Round One.

- Anaheim's leaders in power play ice time (per game/regular season):
Scott Niedermayer 5:50
Chris Pronger 5:47
Teemu Selanne 4:38
Andy McDonald 4:19
Chris Kunitz 4:02
Ryan Getzlaf 3:22

- Vancouver's leaders in power play ice time (per game/regular season):
Daniel Sedin 4:23
Henrik Sedin 4:23
Mattias Ohlund 4:13
Markus Naslund 3:59
Kevin Bieksa 3:43
Sami Salo 3:37

- Anaheim's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game/regular season):
Samuel Pahlsson 4:28
Scott Niedermayer 3:58
Francois Beauchemin 3:58
Chris Pronger 3:46
Rob Niedermayer 3:44
Sean O'Donnell 3:39

- Vancouver's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game/regular season):
Willie Mitchell 4:57
Ryan Kesler 3:42
Kevin Bieksa 3:38
Mattias Ohlund 3:29
Alexandre Burrows 3:17
Sami Salo 3:13

My prediction:

Anaheim Ducks in 5.

Cheerin for the hometown boy Taylor Pyatt.

Was hopin he won the cup last year with Buffalo, as I knew someone who was gonna get me into his inevitable monster party, hopefully he can win it this year, and I can get in again, lol.

Who did this analysis??

They screwed up the Sedin brothers. Hank scored to tie and set-up last night's winner but it's Daniel that scored 36 goals in the regular season. I love nice and thorough predictions (serge)

So it's the Mighty Ducks vs. the Tired Nucks eh? Screw dat!!

The mistake was made by Nhl.com. LOL

The Canucks can't score and the Ducks can score more than Dallas. Luongo will need to stand on his head which I think he can but only enough to steal one game as Anaheim has a fairly decent goalie in their net. The only chance Vancouver has is if Anaheim takes numerous penalties and the Vancouver powerplay can get going.

I respect your hockey knowledge but that's not Vancouver's "only chance"...people so quickly forget that the Nucks averaged over 3 goals per game since January. A fortnight doesn't make a whole team retarded. Given, we're in playoff time but lots of those reg season games were against elite teams and very important games.

I love being in the underdog position. It makes victory oh so much sweeter.

And defeat oh so much easier to swallow?

I get that the games aren't played on paper, but on paper this series is a total mismatch, #2 vs #3 seed aside.

That being said, if the 'Nucks can take down Anaheim, my chances of winning Serge's pool will skyrocket.

So...

GO VANCOUVER!!!

The Canucks averaged 2.65 goals per game over the regular season. In the playoffs teams tighten up defensively and goals are even harder to come by.

Just out of curiosity what was Vancouver's PP% during that run since January when they were averaging over 3 goals per game?

You said Dallas would win in 6 didn't you or was it 5? Just as long as you keep getting your Vancouver predictions wrong I'll be happy. With that being said I don't think Vancouver will win but I can hope.

hmm...I dunno the PP% but if I had to make an educated guess I'd say somewhere between pretty bad to terrible. That's kind've why I didn't agree with the "only chance" statement because PP has not been a big part of their success in 2006-2007. Good even strength numbers and the league's best PK have been the keys.

This is no contest....Look for Anaheim to exploit Vancouver in all aspects of the game...


Anaheim in 5

Here was my prediction:

(3) Vancouver vs (6) Dallas
Dallas is a sleeping giant. They can absolutely shut down an offense and Vancouver's offense is a prime target. Marty Turco has something to prove and Brendan Morrow is November fresh. Stars in 6

I don't think I was that far off. Dallas and Turco did shut down Vancouver's offense but they just couldn't score enough. Anaheim can also shut teams down but they score more.

I won't be as upset with losing to the Ducks (vs. the Stars)...that's true but I don't just blindly stand behind the Nucks.

Missing Cooke and Kesler has been tough on the team. I haven't been impressed with Green's play for the most part and I'm not sold he's defensively responsible to the level the Nucks need. Hansen has transitioned well and adjusted to the pace of the game.

Outside of that though the Nucks have a remarkable way of preparing for games they're supposed to lose. Luongo's a monster...he's been talked about to death. But look at the defense...1 through 6 they are solid without being spectacular. Up front they won't be setting all-time records for goals but each line is capable of scoring.

Match-ups I hate for Canucks are vs. Stars, Flames, Wild, Avs. Honestly, despite all the superior stats I'm happy to see them play anyone else that's remaining in the West.

If I'm wrong I'm wrong but I'd be surprised if the Ducks win in 4 or 5 games.

Wow, April 7th....you should go back to the beginning of the season when I didn't think Vancouver would make the playoffs.

naaa...that's not fair. I didn't know there was a sports forum at FCP back then.

Vancouver has a slight edge in goaltending, and a slight edge in defensive depth. Other than that you have to give Anaheim the edge. I think the Canucks can win, but they will have to have everyone playing at the top of their game during every game. Anything less and this could be over quick.

You think Ohlund, Salo, Bieksa, Mitchell, Green, etc are better than Pronger, Niedermeyer, Beauchemin, Pahlsson, etc?

Green and Pahlsson are not D-men. Take a look at the rosters, Vancouver has an edge depth wise. Anaheims top 3 is clearly better, but even that edge isn't as big as a lot of people think.

I think he was including defensive forwards.

No, I was just not thinking clearly.

I was pretty sure Pahlsson was a d-man, and just assumed Green was by vaguely watching the games. I'll check the rosters now.

Anaheim:
Niedermeyer
Pronger
Beachemin
O'Donnell
DiPenta
Huskins


Vancouver:
Ohlund
Salo
Bieksa
Mitchell
Fitzpatrick
Sopel


Yeah, ok. I could see how you think Vancouver is "deeper", although I hear virtually nothing about Anaheim in the media, and a lot about Vancouver, so those names are more recognizable to me. I'd argue Anaheim defense are stronger overall though, but again, it's tough to assess that knowing very little about the bottom 2 on Anaheim.

What's the word on Burrows? Did Morrow do any damage?

You are missing Kraijcek, who has played very well in his role. Sopel has struggled a bit, he is the only "weak" link. The Canucks also have Edler if they need him. Anaheim is a great team, but it isn't like the Canucks are some mickey mouse 8th seed that snuck into the playoffs.




I didn't hear anything about Burrows. Bieksa is doubtful for game 1 though, and Salo is going to play injured.

Anaheim only had 5 more points than the Canucks, however the Canucks will have no chance if the Sedin's don't carry that game 7 success over into this series.

This is true. The key to the Canucks success is having the twins play well (they dont have to dominate) againts whatever D-pairing they are against, and hope they can find some offence from Naslund/Linden/Morrison/Smolinski/Cooke(when he gets back).

Sorry, I just went with the first 6 defenseman I found that played the last game.

I'm not at all saying the Canucks are a bad team, I just think it's tough to compete with any defense with two absolutely monster d-men.

I don't think 4 great defensemen, one average and one mediocre are better than 2 monsters (TM Pierre Maguire), 1 great defensemen, and 2-3 average guys.

The problem any team going up against Anaheim faces is that one of Pronger or S. Niedermayer can be on the ice for almost the whole game. Throw in Giguere who is one of the best in the league and the Canucks may find goals difficult to come by in this series too.

I think Vancouvers real chance to win the second round series was to to win game 5 vs Dallas and rest everyone. Luongo has never played this much before and I did see signs of fatigue later in the dallas series. Luongo has to steal them this series because Anaheim has the edge every where else.If the Sedins can produce an average of 1.5 goals a game and If Naslund comes alive to score 4 goals in this series and if Trevor Linden defys father time and continues to be the teams unofficial captain they have a shot but that is alot of ifs. Anaheim in 6 and I hope I am wrong. I think whoever does win this series is gonna have a real good shot in the CFs cuz that DET/SJ is gonna be a war.

Anaheim's strongest enemy in this series is themselves. If they can forego their propensity to take penalties for the better part of the series they will win. Although judging by the Nucks PP last series who knows if that will be an issue. One other thing to note is how poorly Anaheim has done in past playoff series' after a long layoff. Ex: Cup final after sweeping Minny and Edmonton last year.

We totally agree on this Dale..

They can list all the matchups about Ana vs Vancouver defence...However Anaheim has arguably two of the better defensemen to ever play the game on their roster...They are both monsters and are both offensive threats...I really dont see how Vancouver has any shot to win this series..

Selanne,Mcdonald,Kunitz,Perry,Getzlaf and Penner are a very solid top 6 that can compete with anyone..

I really dont see this series to be close at all..

The playoffs have been set up pretty nicely for Anaheim to have success thus far. Minnesota was arguably the weakest team in a stacked Western conference playoffs in round 1 and Vancouver is the weakest team in a stacked Western conference playoffs round 2. The case where finishing as the 2nd seed in the conference helps your team because you will probably face the winner of the weakest division in your conference where the #1 seed will face the winner of the 2 best non-division winning clubs has always been a problem in my eyes.

I agree with you...Nashville got the bum rap....They would of probably beaten every other team except Anaheim...

...and San Jose.

Nashville just didn't have it this year, if they had taken down their division they still would have run into the San Jose Express in Round 2, and the result would have likely been the same there.

I agree with a lot of what has been said already and the Nucks nearly had their golf clubs out after letting Dallas back in the series.

The good thing is that Vigneault will not let them off that easy. His comments after game 6 and the first period of game 7 must have hit home because it was a different team that came out to play the last 2 periods of game 7.

If the Canucks can keep that going then it will be a good match up. If not then it will be over fairly quickly.

I am a Canucks fan and I would like to see them advance but they have played more hockey than any other team and that may be their downfall.

My prediction/s

If the Nucks win the first 2 games it will be a Nucks win in 6 or 7 games.

If they lose the first 2 it will be a Ducks win in 5 or 6 games. (As much as it hurts me to type this.)

If they tie the first 2 then rinse and repeat round 1

I think Nashville would have at least given SJ a run if Sullivan wasn't hurt. Maybe I'm wrong.

on paper Anaheim is a big favourite. but like you once said serge...this is why they play games.

there are SO many players on the Nucks roster that can be the hero any given night. they don't have the pretty all-star symbol on their video game characters but lots of players have done well in the Vancouver system. There's lots of heart in that dressing room and that's an asset in the playoffs.

Give me a break !!! What a frickin' brutal sports cliché

Didn't you know the other 7 rosters are made up of tinmen?

What a great move by Selanne, great touch.

Man I am kicking *** for the CBC pool tonight.

3-1. Yummy.

Is anyone else rooting for Vancouver to take a horrible beating in this series?

Na, I kinda want Taylor Pyatt to win the Cup, cuz I had to work last year when Staal brought it to town.

I also have a feeling I could get into Pyatt's Cup party at his ridiculously large camp (read: "cottage" for those not from NW Ontario).

Correy Perry has the cup coming to London for a day if the ducks win, so that would be cool.

What's up with the goal cam on CBC ??? Whenever they change to showing the image from that camera inside the net, it switches to some sort of slower framerate ?

It's really weird, anyone notice this ??? Like this last play, the Canucks d-man is rounding the net, and then they switch back to the regular camera, and he's like 10 feet further up the ice...

Luongo doesnt look so good when he is actually facing a team that can score...

Anaheim is scary good...Already looking forward to a Anaheim vs San Jose Semifinal

I noticed.

ya, it's really fulfilling to see the favourite win like they're supposed to. underdogs should lose all the time and by a large margin.

serge

It's fulfilling to see my least favorite team get pummeled senseless, yes.

Is there a reason they are your least favourite team?