MacIntyre: Canucks good, but not quite good enough to beat L.A. Kings

Rallying from a 3-0 deficit isn’t impossible, but scoring against the L.A. Kings in this series seems to be

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun

LOS ANGELES – This is where the Vancouver Canucks tell us they haven't given up. And they haven't.

And the Los Angeles Kings tell us the fourth win in a playoff series is the hardest. Well, that depends on

the opponent.

And both sides will say the line between winning and losing is so thin that one bounce, one play, one

individual moment of brilliance can change momentum and a series.

For two years, the Canucks have been telling themselves that if they execute their game plan and play

“the right way,” they will prevail regardless of the opposition. Because it is all about them. They've said

that.

This steadfast attitude didn't endear the team any more to those who regard the Canucks as arrogant

beyond their achievement. But it served players well. Until now.

Suddenly, it's all about Jonathan Quick.

The Kings' goalie has barricaded his net and, clearly, developed beyond the jittery prodigy he was two

years ago when the Canucks beat him at this stage of the Stanley Cup tournament.

He has allowed four goals in three games – the same number Dustin Brown has scored for Los Angeles.

Quick has 11 shutouts this season, four of them in his last 11 games, and if he keeps it up he'll add a Conn

Smythe candidacy to the votes already received this season for the Hart and Vezina trophies.

The Canucks were as good as the Kings Friday in Vancouver and a lot better than them here Sunday, yet

lost both games.

So, it is not about the Canucks anymore because if it were, the score in the series would be 2-1 for

somebody and Vancouver wouldn't be down 3-0 and trying to avoid becoming the first National Hockey

League regular-season pennant-winner to be swept from the Stanley Cup playoffs in four games.

It's about Quick, which is why Canuck players' positive comments Monday, spoken outside the team's

oceanside hotel under a bucolic Southern California sky, didn't ring nearly as hopeful as the surroundings.

Each sunny statement could have been followed by the rebuttal: “Yeah, but what about Quick?”

The Canucks may yet be able to beat the Kings even with a slumbering power play, without Daniel Sedin,

and while top defenceman Alex Edler inexplicably plays like one of Vancouver's worst. But no team has

devised a way to win without shooting at least one puck into the opposition net.

“It's hard to have a game plan for the actual goal-scoring,” Canuck veteran Sammy Pahlsson said. “That's

something you just have to find a way to do. And it's really frustrating. We shoot a lot of shots, have

chances, and think we played pretty good. But we still lose the games. Sometimes it can take a little thing

to change it. That's kind of what we're looking for now – to find something that can change the

momentum and get us going.”

Enter Daniel Sedin, who hasn't played in four weeks due to a concussion but was summoned Monday

afternoon from Vancouver to practise with the Canucks today. If things go well, he could play in Game 4

on Wednesday, even if just on the power play.

“Sometimes in the playoffs, it comes down to somebody making a great play,” Canuck goalie Cory

Schneider said. “In the playoffs last year. . . [Ryan Kesler] made a great individual play to score a goal

against Nashville. Sometimes you need a lucky bounce or need someone to step up and make that perfect

shot, that perfect play, and get a big goal.”

Kesler hasn't scored in 15 games. He has four assists in that time. Henrik Sedin has one goal in 24 games.

David Booth has one goal in 14 games and Mason Raymond hasn't scored in nine.

“I don't think our guys are discouraged,” Canuck coach Alain Vigneault said. “Obviously, we're faced

with a huge challenge. I thought the last two games, we've executed well. But it's a result-driven business

and we're not scoring.

“There's a lot of things we can do as far as trying to help them break down another team's goaltender. And

we've been trying to do that. He's an elite goaltender. As they say, a goalie can win a game and a goalie

can win a series. That being said, our focus has to be narrow right now and I think we can start by

winning a period, then taking it from there.”

The Canucks won all three periods on Sunday but lost the game 1-0.

“We don't feel defeated,” Schneider said. “We don't feel as if it's an insurmountable lead and that it can't

be done. It just starts with next game and then you never know what can happen. Maybe we come home

[with a win in Game 4] and maybe the pressure and the momentum of the series shifts.”

Maybe like it shifted away from the Canucks at this stage last year, when they built a 3-0 lead against

Chicago, played Games 4 and 5 like a formality and found themselves in overtime of Game 7 before Alex

Burrows' goal finally finished off the Blackhawks.

The Canucks need to win four Game 7s to make it past the Kings. That requires at least four goals.

“We still think if we do the things we're capable of doing, we can score on anybody,” defenceman Keith

Ballard said. “We're not to the point of thinking we can't put one by [Quick].”

Can the Canucks win Game 4? Absolutely. Can they win the series after trailing 3-0? Sure. All they have

to do it outscore the Kings.

Dustin Brown definitely wanted 'to prove people wrong'

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun

LOS ANGELES — Dustin Brown doesn't look like the player the Vancouver Canucks saw in the playoffs

two years ago. He's not even the same player he was two months ago.

The Los Angeles Kings' captain, who endured 11-game goal droughts before and after his name was

circulated at the National Hockey League trade deadline in February, has four goals in three games and

has been the best skater in a series his team can sweep from the Canucks on Wednesday.

Brown, 27, has always had grit in his game. But he appears to have more speed now – a dynamic aspect

that has made him a more dangerous power forward.

The American said this is the best he has played.

“Probably in big games like this, yes,” he said Monday as the Kings rested all their key players. “I haven't

had the opportunity to play in a lot of big games. Personally, I just felt pretty good the last quarter of a

year and it has carried over.”

Brown might well have spent that final quarter on another team because Los Angeles general manager

Dean Lombardi was taking offers on his captain at the deadline and some insiders predicted he would be

traded.

Lombardi, who acquired big-ticket star Mike Richards before the season and Jeff Carter near the end of it,

decided to keep Brown and the winger has played since then like he wants to stay in Los Angeles. Even

with the goal slump, Brown had 18 points in 19 games after the deadline.

The Kings have never led a playoff series 3-0 and haven't won one since 2001, which was the last year the

Canucks were swept.

“When your name's out there, you definitely want to prove people wrong,” Brown said. “I'm a pretty self-

motivated person as it is. It's not like I didn't hear about [the reports]. At the same time, I knew I could be

better than I was in the first half of the year.

“Given the type of year we had. . . a lot of guys started to realize that we needed to be better, both

individually and as a team. We had a lot of big players step up at big times.”

New Kings' coach Darryl Sutter isn't much for oral expression with the media, but it seems strange that a

player with Brown's toughness and skill set – and a bargain contract that runs two more seasons at a

salary-cap hit of $3.175 million – wouldn't be considered essential.

Richards was great in Game 1. Brown has been excellent in all three. Carter has been barely noticeable.

Just as Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick's evolution can be seen in the playoff snapshots from this

series and the Kings' loss against the Canucks two years ago, so can Brown's growing impact be felt.

He had just two goals and five points in 12 playoff games the last two years.

Brown leads this series with five points. He is plus-three, has registered 19 shots and taken only two

penalties while maintaining a fierce physical presence that included running over Canuck captain Henrik

Sedin on Sunday.

Sedin didn't miss a shift and said later the ferocious hit was clean.

“When you talk about the Sedins, you think of their skill, how good offensively they are,” Brown said.

“At the end of the day, they're still hockey players and have that inner drive to want to be a difference-

maker.”

Brown is wired the same way.

Canucks recall Blackhawks for inspiration

By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun April 16, 2012

LOS ANGELES -- For years, all the Vancouver Canucks have wanted to do with the Chicago

Blackhawks was beat them.

Now they want to be just like them.

Or at least last year's version of the Blackhawks.

It was one year ago when the Blackhawks almost pulled off what the Canucks now must do against the

Los Angeles Kings. Chicago rallied from a 3-0 deficit in its first-round series against Vancouver before

eventually losing Game 7 in overtime.

For the Canucks it is a valuable lesson in how a series, even one that seems lost, can quickly shift.

"I think that is a good example of a recent series where they were one great Roberto Luongo save away

from winning that thing -- that save (on Patrick Sharp) he made in overtime in Game 7," Vancouver

defenceman Keith Ballard said Monday.

"That happened to us and we were a very good hockey team last year and we are playing a good hockey

team right now. We know we can produce that same thing, but to get it started we have to win a game."

Goalie Cory Schneider said the Canucks can't dwell on the enormity of the task at hand.

"We are not trying to think of it as a 3-0 hole," Schneider said. "You win one game, come back to

Vancouver and anything can happen. But it all has to start with that one win, get that good feeling back in

the room and get some confidence back with the boys. It's not a great situation to be in, but we are not

really viewing it as that kind of deficit right now."

Schneider said the Canucks also can't afford to feel sorry for themselves, having lost Games 2 and 3

despite outshooting Los Angeles by a combined total of 89-46.

"That is how the playofs are, it could go either way," Schneider said. "Last year we were up 3-0 on

Chicago and it could have been 2-1 or 2-1 for them. That's all it is, sometimes it just takes a bounce or

one great play and it can shift the entire momentum of a series. Whether we feel unfortunate or not

doesn't really matter. We are where we are and it's up to us to get out of it."

"That's the reality," added centre Sammy Pahlsson. "We can say we played good and everything, but we

have to score goals, too, we have to win games. The reality is we can't lose another one, we have to win

every game now."

Pahlsson thinks the lop-sided shot totals over the past two games are a tad misleading.

"We would like to get better chances," he said. "A lot of the shots come from the outside. We have to get

shots when someone is in front and where it actually has a chance to go in."

STILL THINKING: Coach Alain Vigneault said Monday he has not decided who will start in goal on

Wednesday night. Schneider got just his second career playoff start in Game 3 on Sunday night and

stopped 19 of 20 shots.

"We are not there yet," Vigneault said of his goaltending decision. "We'll talk about this probably

tomorrow."

SUTTER-SPEAK: His team is up 3-0 and has outscored the Canucks 9-4 in the series, but Kings' coach

Darryl Sutter was still playing the underdog card on Monday.

"You know what, we're not at their level offensively, so we have to take advantage of the opportunities

we get," Sutter said.

He didn't seem overly concerned about the wide edge in shots Vancouver has had the past two games.

"As long as you try and keep shots to the outside then I don't really care," he said.

Asked if he'd had a second look at Dustin Brown's hit on Henrik Sedin in Game 3, Sutter said. "I have

seen it live and in technicolour. It was good in both."

GET ON WITH IT: Neither team seems particularly happy about the gap between games.

"We spent a lot of time in their end, we were tough on their defencemen, so you almost don't want them

to have an extra day, but that's how the schedule is," Ballard said.

"I'd prefer to play tomorrow, but obviously we are both in the same situation," Sutter said. "We both

probably have players that need the day and we can practise tomorrow and get ready again."

If the Canucks do happen to force a Game 5, it won't be played until Sunday night at Rogers Arena.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Los Angeles defenceman Matt Greene knows a little something about a

No. 8 seed knocking off a top seed in the playoffs. Greene was a member of the Edmonton Oilers team

that beat the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

The Red Wings had won the Presidents Trophy that season with 124 points, but lost in six games to the

Oilers.

"The thing that you can draw on is that nobody is really out," Green said. "As long as you get into the

playoffs you can cause some damage from there. But you have to have confidence as a team and I think

that is what we have right now. . .the only inspiration you can draw from Edmonton is that it can happen."

ICE CHIPS: The Canucks have now scored a total of 12 goals in their last 10 playoff games. . .A No. 1

seed has never been swept by a No. 8 seed since the NHL introduced conference playoff seeding in 1994.

Top scorer Daniel Sedin rejoins Canucks in L.A.

By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun April 16, 2012

LOS ANGELES -- It could well turn out to be their final practice of the season, but the Vancouver

Canucks are hoping it instead becomes their most significant.

At about 1:30 Tuesday at a practice facility in El Segundo, not far from Los Angeles International

Airport, injured winger Daniel Sedin is expected to skate with the Canucks.

Against all odds, the Canucks hope Daniel, cleared for takeoff, may be able to help them avoid what is

looking like an ugly playoff crash landing.

The team announced Monday afternoon that Daniel was flying to Southern California and would practise

Tuesday. Presumably, if all goes well he will play on Wednesday night when Vancouver, down 3-0 in its

first-round playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings, tries to stave off elimination at the Staples Center.

For a suddenly goal-starved team, this is good news.

"Well, he is our top scorer," coach Alain Vigneault said when asked how meaningful it would be to have

Daniel back for Game 4. "Is that a good answer?"

Vigneault said Daniel, who led Vancouver with 30 goals this season, has been making good progress

skating on his own the past few days. Vigneault said Daniel won't play unless he is ready.

"That is a decision that he and the doctors will make together," Vigneault said.

"He has been skating now for quite a few days, they feel he has progressed really well and he is cleared to

practise with the team. Exactly what that means we'll have a better indication of the next couple of days."

Daniel has been out of the lineup since March 21, when he suffered a concussion after being elbowed in

the face by Chicago defenceman Duncan Keith. He practised with the Canucks last Monday, but suffered

an apparent setback of sorts.

Although they survived the end of the regular season without him, winning eight of their final nine

games, the Canucks have struggled offensively in the first three games of their series with the Kings.

Vancouver has scored a total of four goals in the series, the same number tallied by Kings captain Dustin

Brown.

"It's a results-driven business and we are not scoring," Vigneault said outside the five-star Santa Monica

hotel where the team enjoyed the day off on Monday. "Our goaltenders, both of them, have given us in all

three games a chance to win. But you need to score goals and we are not doing it."

Vigneault acknowledged that Daniel's absence has had a trickle-down effect on his team, with some

players being forced to play in unfamiliar roles or positions.

"Obviously, right now because Danny is not there we have quite a few guys playing out of roles and their

best possible position to help out this team," he said. "That is nothing new, you go through that in a

regular season. But right now with the level of competition we are up against and the situation we are

faced with, for him to be back in our lineup would be a big boost. But we don't know so we'll see how

everything goes the next little while here."

Word that Daniel would be back at practice today was welcomed by the three Canuck players made

available to the media on Monday.

"We feel we are a good enough team that we can overcome the loss of any individual, but in a series

where goals are hard to come by getting a 30-goal guy and last year's Art Ross winner definitely couldn't

hurt," said goalie Cory Schneider.

"I think we're still feeling good in that we're not relying on a saviour to come in and help us, but again to

get a player of that caliber back would be a big boost for us."

And probably a big boost to Vancouver's ailing power play, which is now 0-for-14 in the series. Daniel

led the Canucks with 10 power-play goals this season.

"That's outstanding," defenceman Keith Ballard said of Daniel's possible return. "He is our best goal-

scorer, he is relied on a ton. If he's here, it's a bonus."

"We can see that he is getting closer and that might help us a little bit," added centre Sammy Pahlsson.

The fact is, however, that Daniel's return likely wouldn't mean much unless some of Vancouver's other

top players become more productive.

Second-line wingers David Booth and Chris Higgins have been nearly invisible in the series and

defenceman Alex Edler's game is a mess.

Vigneault acknowledged Edler is struggling with the pressure of the playoffs and is being encouraged to

have some fun while playing.

"That way you calm the nerves a little bit," he said.

As for Higgins and Booth, Vigneault said: "They are like the rest of our group. They are trying to do the

right things, they are trying to go to the net, they are trying to get pucks on net, get to rebounds. You have

to give LA a lot of credit. They have done a really good job. When there have been mistakes in our end

they made us pay. When we forced them to make mistakes, we haven't been able to make them pay."

Vigneault insisted his team's spirits remain high.

"I don't think out guys are discouraged," he said. "Obviously we are faced with a huge challenge. Today is

a day where we are going to try and re-energize our batteries and (Tuesday) we are going to have a good

practice and we are again going to come up with a plan that we can put on the ice and execute."

Injured forward Daniel Sedin to rejoin Canucks

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun April 16, 2012

LOS ANGELES -- The Swedish cavalry is on its way.

Injured star Daniel Sedin flies this afternoon to California to rejoin the Vancouver Canucks as the

National Hockey League team faces playoff elimination on Wednesday.

Sedin hasn't played since suffering a concussion four weeks ago when elbowed in the head by Chicago

defenceman Duncan Keith. Sedin, who aborted a comeback attempt last week after one full practice, will

skate with the Canucks Tuesday and probably will be a game-time lineup decision when Vancouver tries

to avoid being swept by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup tournament.

Even in a limited role, Sedin could significantly help the Canucks, whose power play is 0-for-14 through

three games.

Canuck coach Alain Vigneault told reporters the team was continuing to follow "protocol" on Sedin's

concussion and wouldn't comment on last season's NHL scoring champion playing Game 4 against the

Kings.

The Canucks did not practise Monday. They are trying to avoid becoming the first Presidents' Trophy

winners to be bounced from the playoffs in four games.

Winning games not about luck: Ballard

By Ben Kuzma, The Province April 16, 2012

LOS ANGELES — When preparation meets opportunity, you can talk of what can contribute to luck.

When you can’t score it’s not about a lack of good fortune, it’s about a lack of execution. That’s why

Keith Ballard isn’t buying any theories about a supposed lack of luck pinning the Vancouver Canucks to

the playoff ropes.

The Presidents’ Trophy winners have outshot the Los Angeles Kings 115-85 but trail 3-0 in the Western

Conference quarterfinal series because they’re allowing Jonathan Quick to see pucks and are finding the

goaltender’s crest on too many shooting occasions. In being outscored 9-4, they must do a better job at

taking away the Vezina Trophy candidate’s eyes and a better job of creating screens and deflections. Do

that and nobody is going to talk about hocus-pocus and how just one fortuitous bounce will turn

everything around.

“It’s not about who’s lucky and it doesn’t matter how you feel,” said Ballard. “If you feel lucky, go the

casino I guess. It’s about results and executing and keeping them [goals] out of your net. We still think

that if we do the things we’re capable of doing, we can score on anybody and we’ll get rewarded.

“We’re not at the point of thinking that we can’t get by this guy [Quick].”

However, a must-win scenario Wednesday will test the Canucks to balance the equation of being

responsible in their own end and forcing the issue offensively. While the possible return of 30-goal scorer

Daniel Sedin from a concussion should provide some sort of spark — especially for the 0-for-14 power

play — more imagination and outnumbered situations might force the series back to Vancouver for Game

5 on Sunday.

However, when Dan Hamhuis pinched in the first period of Game 2, the Kings read the effort and sprung

away on a 3-on-1 break with Dustin Brown forcing Cory Schneider to make a tough save.

“You’re not going to win if you start giving up stupid chances because they [Kings] are a good offensive

team,” added Ballard. “We don’t have success by taking unnecessary risks. We continue to work hard

from our end out and we get opportunities. It’s just about burying them.”

Quick has been so quick at getting from post to post and taking away the lower part of the net that the

Canucks have purposely been trying to shoot high because the goaltender has been known to take himself

out of plays by being too athletic and opening up part of the net.

“Through videos and tendencies that Quick might have, we might be able to exploit him,” suggested

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. “A goalie can win a a game and a series. We’ve got to start by winning a

period.”

The Canucks have preached how the invaluable experience of getting to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final

last June has them prepared for a rally and a repeat performance. And while Chicago erased a 3-0 deficit

in the opening round last spring to force a seventh game overtime before the Canucks prevailed, the

Blackhawks erupted for 16 goals in three games to get to Game 7. Hard to imagine the Canucks doing the

same because they’ve scored just a dozen goals in their last 10 playoff outings.

“We have to hold pucks in and get pucks to the net, but you just don’t throw everything out the window

and start playing reckless when you need goals,” summed up Ballard. “Even last night [Sunday] and

being down 1-0, we had a lot of time and kept just pushing and going and played a fairly smart game.

From the back end, if the opportunity is there we need to join the rush.”

And score.

Edler must show star quality in Canucks' must-win game

By Ben Kuzma, The Province April 16, 2012

LOS ANGELES — Two years ago, Alex Edler had his coming-out party. He celebrated an evolving

game by destroying Drew Doughty with a thunderous shoulder-to-shoulder check as the opposition

blueliner cut to the net in the memorable playoff outing. There was a search for superlatives to describe

the six heavy hits and poised presence of the Vancouver Canucks defenceman on that night.

Fast forward, and a search party might be in order.

In what can only be described as a crushing lack of confidence by the 2012 playoff edition of Edler —

especially after vying for the NHL defence scoring lead, playing in his first All-Star Game and in the

conversation as a Norris Trophy candidate with 49 regular-season points — he’s a contributing factor to

the Presidents’ Trophy winners staring at the abyss of a 3-0 series deficit against the Los Angeles Kings.

Edler’s brain cramps have dwarfed his one goal in the Western Conference quarterfinal and his delay-of-

game penalty with 1:37 remaining Sunday with his club pressing for the equalizer — his second such

faux pas in the series — has the psyched-out Swede rivalling Marc-Andre Fleury as one of the biggest

playoff disappointments.

And because the Canucks can’t score with just a dozen goals in their last 10 playoff games dating back to

the Stanley Cup final, every bit of hesitancy on the back end with or without the puck, any bad pinch or

any stoic stance while the opposition dances around you is only magnified.

“I think people on the outside are harder on Alex than they should be right now,” said defenceman Keith

Ballard, who along with Cory Schneider and Samme Pahlsson were the only players made available on a

non-practice day Monday. “He does a lot of great things for us and has done them all year. He had a bad

break and the puck goes over the glass, but I don’t know aside from that and I’m not going to break down

somebody else’s game.”

It’s not that other parts of Edler’s game aren’t there. He can still wire the puck and had six shots in the

first two series games but had trouble Sunday. Four attempts were blocked and another four missed the

mark because the Kings are good at pressuring the points, falling in front of pucks and the Canucks need

to do a better job as a defensive core of moving quickly laterally and getting their shots to the net.

Especially Edler, who plays a key role on the putrid power play that’s 0-for-14 in the series. He can’t lose

pucks or battles at the blueline.

“He really wants to do well and puts a lot of pressure on himself to help the team and some guys handle

that differently,” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. “He’s putting enough on himself right now that we

don’t need to add to that. It’s more about relaxing and staying in the moment and a lot times it just comes

down to going out there and trying to have fun.

“That way you calm the nerves a little bit and are able to execute to the standards that everybody has seen

you do in the past.”

Edler also had three giveaways in the opener and started to unravel like a ball of string. And even though

he would score in Game 1 when a seeing-eye shot from the point found the net, what has continued to

play out has been alarming.

In a scoreless Game 3 and the Canucks on a power play early in the second period, Edler lost the puck,

then lost his way and his man at the Kings blueline and had to grab Mike Richards as the centre tapped

the puck off the boards and was about to bolt on a breakaway. Edler is also playing less as the series

progresses — 26:16, 23:48, 22:36 — and reverting back to a pairing with Sami Salo in Game 2 hasn’t

helped either player. Edler looks tentative. Salo looks slow.

“Confidence is everything,” Edler said earlier this season in lauding the guidance he received from former

Canuck and countryman Mattias Ohlund. “You do everything better from having the puck and timing and

having the right gap. Most of the time I feel pretty confident in myself in that I know what I can do but a

lot of consistency comes with experience. Guys like Mattias or Sami, you know they’re doing their jobs

even if they’re not feeling great. That’s something you have to work hard toward.”

By finishing seventh in NHL scoring by defencemen with a career-high 11 goals and 38 assists, there’s an

offensive foundation to supplant the departed Christian Ehrhoff. And with another season at $3.25 million

US before he can become an unrestricted free agent, the Canucks are hoping that the player becomes as

good as the person. Wednesday would be the best time for Edler, who turns 26 on Saturday, to remind

everyone of that. After all, he was the first Canuck blueliner to compete in the All-Star Game since Ed

Jovanovski represented the club in 2003.

When Canucks associate coach Rick Bowness was asked earlier this season if Edler had the game and the

mental makeup to develop into one of the league’s better blueliners, he didn’t hesitate to speak of that

potential. A willingness to work on his game, admit mistakes and correct them quickly have served Edler

well. At his best, great vision allows him to thread passes and the right timing and lack of hesitancy

allows him to hit with authority. He has nine hits in this series against the Kings.

“He gets more upset over bad shifts and has a tremendous amount of pride,” said Bowness. “He’s just so

honest and will tell you if he made a bad read. Am I surprised that he’s a very good player in this league?

Absolutely not. He’s a great person with great values.”

His value to the Canucks will only go up if Edler the all-star shows up Wednesday.

Gallagher: If Canucks can't come back then give them a new coach

By Tony Gallagher, The Province April 16, 2012

SANTA MONICA, Ca.-- Because of his long tenure enjoyed as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, it

might be a useful exercise to mount something of a defence for Alain Vigneault after another season

whereby it looks all but certain his team is going to come to another crashing, miserable end in the NHL

playoffs.

Granted this agent may not be the most qualified for this, but those who worship the ground the man spits

on will doubtless come out of their boots trying to keep him around because he's an easy man with which

to work. So there will be plenty of "save the President's Trophy winning coach material," -- and rightfully

so because his regular season record is very, very good.

When looking at the team he took into this post season, he was without his top goal scorer, his second-

line centre has been off his game all season and the changes made at the trade deadline essentially left

him with one play-making centre. It left him with plenty of toughness, but in the must-win game three,

Dale Weise and Zack Kassian barely got a sniff. But the latter is a young player and we know how they

fare in Vigneault regimes.

None of Ryan Kesler, Manny Malhotra, Samme Pahlsson or Max Lapierre can make plays on an even

remotely regular basis, leaving only Henrik Sedin to do that job (which he does a lot because, of course,

he never shoots.) Then again, even when Vigneault had Cody Hodgson he rarely used the kid, so maybe

this is a bogus defence, particularly as he applauded the deadline changes heartily before the outset of the

playoffs and may have had a significant role in their planning.

Missing Daniel Sedin, the coach decides to put Jannik Hansen on the top line with the team's only play-

maker in games two and three of this series, a career high 16-goal scorer.

Miraculously enough Hansen gets one goal and Sedin, playing his guts out in game three, sets up several

good scoring chances only to watch them all stopped by Jonathan Quick, or have the ensuing shots miss

the net.

Now Henrik knows what Steve Nash feels like in the NBA every night -- but we digress.

Meanwhile Kesler and David Booth remain together labouring away on the same line, each acting as

individuals almost oblivious to the presence of each other -- Chris Higgins having checked out for the

playoffs -- so far thus making the Am-ex line a distant memory. Playing your best career goal-scoring

winger (in Daniel's absence, Booth) with your only play-making centre Sedin and perhaps reuniting

Kesler and Alex Burrows never happens even though the team can't rent a goal. Neither was Max

Lapierre who at least worked on the top line in the mean-nothing games down the stretch. His second-best

defenceman Alex Edler, the pride and joy of Vigneault's assistant coach Rick Bowness, seizes up for

reasons unknown and plays like, well, Rick Bowness. And once again this team is on the verge of a

ridiculous conclusion.

Surely that's been something of a Vigneault trademark since his arrival, his first year perhaps his best in

2007 where a team that had no chance rode Roberto Luongo into the second round before going out on

their shields losing to the eventual Cup champions.

That was followed in '08 by a hideous collapse down the stretch whereby the team missed the playoffs. In

'09 they had the Chicago Blackhawks down 2-1 with the lead in the third period of game four only to lose

those next three and drop a series they should have won. The following year the Hawks were probably a

better team but not by much, and the season ended miserably with Chicago humiliating Vancouver in

one-sided home games.

The following year he takes his team all the way to the final and that's good. But not before it almost blew

a 3-0 series advantage in the first round, ridiculously poor efforts in games four and five the main reason.

The team was hanging by a thread in game seven OT, Luongo having to make a great save off Patrick

Sharp to avoid what is likely to happen in reality this year.

Seriously, after all this, a first round exit for a President's Trophy winning team? And this year there is no

blaming the goaltending. It's been fine.

Monday here Vigneault was spinning the great goaltending of Quick and making references to being

"against elite teams.”

Elite teams? This is not the '87 Oilers, it's the eighth seed that gave up a two-goal lead to lose to San Jose

at home when fighting for what theoretically should have been a better playoff position. Please.

“I've been on teams where the coach has been fired a couple of times but it's not decisions we make,” said

Samme Pahlsson, who was on hand when Scott Arniel was fired by Columbus in January this season.

“We didn't think it was the coach's fault there.

When asked about here in Vancouver should the team lose this series he thought for at least two seconds

and finally said: “It's the same here.”

Players at this level always take the blame, publicly at least. Barring a recovery of historic proportions in

this series however, it says here this group, however comprised next year, deserves to hear a different

voice.

Daniel Sedin to practise with Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday

By Jason Botchford, The Province April 16, 2012

LOS ANGELES -- The Vancouver Canucks may not have a White Knight on his way, but they do have a

Swedish Art Ross winner.

Daniel Sedin flew to Los Angeles on Monday and will skate with the team Tuesday. If, and this is a big

if, all goes well, he could be in the lineup for Game 4 of the NHL playoffs, head coach Alain Vigneault

said.

"Daniel has been following protocol and he's been cleared for practice with the team," Alain Vigneault

said.

"Right now, with the level of competition we're up against and the situation that we're faced with,

obviously, for him to be back in our lineup would be a big boost.

"But we don't know, so we'll see how everything goes in the next little while."

The optics are obvious. The Canucks are in a critical must-win situation. They have four goals in three

games. Their power play is a total disaster. Henrik is playing some of his best hockey, yet looks like he

has no one to pass to. Suddenly, Daniel is progressing really well and may be an option for Game 4. Some

will suggest the Canucks are rushing him back.

"No player with this type of injury (would do that)," Vigneault said. "You have to be healthy. You have to

be ready to go. That's a decision that him and the doctors will have to make together."

Vigneault may not be quite right when he says "no player." Daniel Alfredsson suffered a concussion

Monday and less than 48 hours afterward he joined the Ottawa Senators for their morning skate before

Game 3.

"It won't be my decision," Vigneault said. "That's a medical decision. (Daniel's) been skating now for

quite a few days.

"They feel he's progressed real well."

For a desperate Canucks team it may be too little, too late.

But they do finally have a rallying point if he's in, and maybe some hope. What kind of impact could he

have, even if he played limited minutes? A significant one.

"He's our top scorer. Is that a good answer?" Vigneault said. "Obviously, right now, because Danny is not

there we have quite a few guys playing roles out of their best possible position to help this team."

He is the team's best goal scorer and has been badly missed in the postseason.

Daniel was concussed on March 25 on a Duncan Keith cheap shot, which landed the Chicago Blackhawks

defenceman a five-game suspension.

Daniel has missed 12 games.

"It's great to have him back at practice, but any sign is a good sign and we'll take it," Cory Schneider said.

"In a series where goals are hard to come by, getting a 30-goal guy and last year's Art Ross winner

couldn't hurt.

"But we're not waiting for a saviour to come in and help us."

Daniel Sedin heads to Los Angeles; will he play Game 4?

By Jonathan McDonald, Vancouver Province

Jason Botchford reports from Los Angeles …

Daniel Sedin is on his way to Los Angeles and will skate with the team Tuesday.

For a desperate Canucks team it may be too little, too late. And there is no guarantee he will even play in

Game 4.

But the Canucks finally have a rallying point and maybe some hope.

“Daniel has been following protocol and he’s been cleared for practice with the team,” coach Alain

Vigneault said. “So he’s flying in this afternoon.”

Will he play?

“That won’t be my decision,” said Vigneault. “That’s a medical decision. He’s been skating now for quite

a few days. They feel he’s progressed real well.”

Daniel is the team’s best goal scorer and has been badly missed in the postseason.

Daniel was concussed on March 25 on a Duncan Keith cheap shot, which landed the Blackhawks

defenceman a five-game suspension.

Daniel has missed 12 games.

Vigneault was asked: What does he mean to your club?

“He’s our top scorer,” said Vigneault. “Is that a good enough answer for you?”

Canucks Hat Trick: Quick’s had it easy, Sedin doing his Toews, Edler’s lost his mind

By Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province

6457842 Canucks Hat Trick: Quicks had it easy, Sedin doing his Toews, Edlers lost his mind

1. The scene around the Canucks may be like the darkest of dark nights in Gotham City, but it doesn’t

look like Batman is anywhere near Los Angeles. There doesn’t look to be a dark knight ready to glide in

and save the Canucks.

For the praise Jonathan Quick is getting, and some of it is deserved, the Canucks had only nine scoring

chances in Game 3. (Thanks to the guys from @canucksarmy for tracking them).

How is it going to change in Game 4? It’s not. Not by much anyway. Quick may be the best goalie in the

series, but if he had been playing for the Canucks, Vancouver is still down 3-0. The L.A. Kings have

owned the middle of the ice, from the beginning of the series to the end. They don’t give up odd-man

rushes. They don’t give up the slot.

“We take the middle away and push out and that’s been the key in the series,” Drew Doughty said. “If

Quick gets the shot from the outside, whether they’re high or low, he’s got it. He’s so good at controlling

his rebounds, he’s going to make that save and clear it into the corner or freeze it.

“It’s easy for us to give up the shots from the outside because we know where the puck is going to go.”

2. Henrik Sedin had some really positive vibes going at the end of the game. To paraphrase, he said the

Canucks believe they are wearing the Kings down. They are getting pucks deep and they are about to turn

this series around.

Just one problem. The Kings best period was the third. Like a dog on a hunt, L.A. smelled a carcass when

the third period started and they found themselves in a scoreless game.

It was the Kings who controlled play in the critical minutes which led up to the only goal.

Then again, what is Henrik going to say? He’s rallying the troops, doing his best Jonathan Toews

impression.

3. What Alex Edler is experiencing looks like a meltdown on ice. For half the game he’s playing like he

doesn’t want to get hit. For the other, he’s playing like he doesn’t want the puck. He’s not the first player

to go through this, but he’s among the most obvious because he is a top-four defenceman who is always

on the ice.

Sure, he blew the coverage on the goal. But so did Samme Pahlsson, who vacated Dustin Brown —

Dustin Freakin’ Brown, who has been dominating the series. That’s who you leave at the side of the net

all alone?

Both of them may have been tired. Just before the goal, Edler iced the puck. It was a senseless icing and it

essentially helped gift wrap the goal.

Then, late in the third, Edler shot the puck out of the stands for an inexcusable delay-of-game call.

Canucks fans hope Daniel Sedin can spark win

By Andy Ivens, The Province

With elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs now a stark possibility, Canucks fans got a smidgen good

news Monday — Daniel Sedin has been cleared to practise with the team.

The Canucks’ top goal-getter during the regular season has been out of action with a concussion since

taking an elbow to the head from Chicago’s Duncan Keith in a hard-hitting game March 25.

After finishing the season in first place in the National Hockey League, the Canucks have lost all three of

their first-round playoff games against 13th-ranked Los Angeles Kings.

A loss on Wednesday night in L.A. would send the Canucks packing, and their fans looking forward to

next year.

Tammy Johnson hasn’t lost faith in her team, despite the long odds against the Canucks winning four

straight games to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

“I just believe that if you are a Canuck fan, you are going to support the team no matter what,” said

Johnson.

She said the Canucks need to have Daniel back on the top line with his twin brother Henrik.

“Daniel’s the missing ingredient, absolutely” said Johnson, a Vancouver resident.

“I’m very optimistic and positive,” she smiled. “They are an amazing team.

“They supported a school that my son is involved with. I just believe that the Canucks give back, and we

[fans] give back to them. As long as we don’t lose faith in them, then they’ll succeed for sure,” said

Johnson.

Vancouver-based sports psychologist Dr. Saul Miller said Daniel’s return could be a big break for the

team.

“When a player like that, the top scorer on the team, comes back from an injury, it does lift spirits,” he

said.

“If Daniel and Henrik are together, [the rest of the forward lines] get back to more normal situations.”

But Miller noted there is a possible dark side to Daniel’s return.

“Especially with concussions, if you come back a little too soon … the incidence of a second concussion

is greater.”

He said elite players have a sixth sense about a possible check coming towards them, but it takes time for

that level of awareness to return to their game.

“I don’t think you have that same quick reactivity to things,” said Miller.

“If you think of [all-star Sidney] Crosby, I think it was the second hit more than the first [which caused a

concussion and his missing three months of action].

Miller said the sight of Daniel mustering up every effort to return should have a positive effect on his

teammates.

“I think his coming back would be a plus. I don’t think if he’s not ready it’s going to bring them down,”

said Miller, author of four books on sports psychology and a consultant to dozens of professional sports

teams and businesses.

“There is such a clear focus on what has to be done,” he said. “It’s all about winning the next game.”

Brian Hansford said he was feeling “not so good” after Sunday’s loss to the Kings, putting Vancouver

firmly behind the eight ball.

“Even if [Daniel Sedin] is there to give moral support, it will be a little bit of optimism,” said Hansford, a

Vancouverite.

“Their power play is anemic,” he added. “They just need a spark.

Xavier Thomas was encouraged by the news.

“I hope he plays,” said Thomas, a North Vancouver resident. “They need to play harder and send more

players to the net.”

Slugfests hitting more viewers

Expanded cable penetration in U.S. makes nearly all playoff games accessible

By Tony Gallagher, The Province

Hockey fans in this financially broken but still beautiful state are delirious these days because they can

see more playoff games than ever before without ordering the NHL package from a satellite or cable

provider.

And because of the new NBC sports network having a lot more penetration across the country than did

the old Versus network, more fans are simply able to turn on their sets and find the games with-out

having to hunt high and low for somebody carrying the old Versus. That, combined with the fact CNBC

is also showing some games, means that essentially all playoff games are available to almost everyone in

the country. That has sent overall ratings of actual viewers who have seen games so far this season up

some 31 per cent over last season.

And if violent, sometimes a little scary hockey is to their taste, they'll be back in droves because while the

Vancouver Canucks are bowing out, fans down here and in another big market -New York - are getting

jacked, as well as any-one who's tuned into the Rollerball Philly-Pittsburgh series.

Needless to say the league and its owners are probably pretty happy about this development, although

what it means to players remains unclear.

The efforts by the league to stop this run of dangerous plays brought on by such uneven on-ice officiating

seem particularly tepid so far. Suspensions during the playoffs tend to be short because they cost the

players nothing, the teams possibly a great deal if you lose a top player.

So what to do if Rollerball sells? If the current trend on the part of the league to handling these incidents

continues, the strategy will be to let players' safety take a back seat to rising revenues.

And that will be money the players won't share in if the league is successful in lowering their percentage

take in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The present CBA expires Sept. 15 and negotiations haven't officially begun.

Kings' Jonathan Quick can be cracked; Canucks must shoot from slot

Fighting more to take over the slot would be a great place to start

By Jason Botchford, The Province

You would assume Daniel Sed-in's arrival in the City of Angels isn't for an emotional, inspirational, do-

you-believe-in miracles pregame speech.

That's because the Canucks don't need a miracle. The Canucks need something much more extraordinary.

They need goals. And they could use several of them.

It will be trendy leading into Game 4 for people to unearth the Chicago Blackhawks story from last year,

searching for tangible proof that digging out of a three-love hole can be done. The Hawks wormed their

way back into the first-round series, one they trailed 3-0 against these Canucks, by scoring 12 goals in

two games.

The Canucks, meanwhile, have 12 goals in their past 10 playoff games.

One has to hope that's not why Daniel was flown to L.A. You have to believe that as cautious as the

Canucks have been with Daniel, and secretive, they are not rushing him back to help bail out a team that

is in a near-impossible situation.

Head coach Alain Vigneault said Daniel being cleared for practice was because of his progress, not

because of the team's desperation. You have to take his word for it.

From being downplayed at the start, Daniel's absence in the lineup has increasingly become The Story.

It's even engulfed Moby Dick, the Canucks' goaltending issue which dominated the Lower Main-land

sports scene all year. Whether Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider starts Game 4 barely matters now, and

that's saying something.

It's plausible Daniel wouldn't have made a difference. He didn't against Boston in the Stanley Cup final.

And this series - with the way the L.A. Kings have pushed the Canucks to the perimeter and shut down

their power play (0-for-14) - looks in many ways like the Boston series.

Jonathan Quick may be getting all the accolades, but the truth is the Canucks have only sporadically

tested him, and not very effectively. They had 41 shots in Game 3 but just nine scoring chances - to the

Kings' 13, according to the meticulous, number-crunching whizzes over at the Canucks Army blog.

"We had a lot of shots, but not a lot of scoring chances," Schneider said.

"They're not giving up odd-man rushes. They're not giving up second chances. They're not giving up any-

thing in the slot. A lot of our action comes from the perimeter and when we do get a decent look, Quick is

coming up with a big save and he's not spitting up many rebounds.

"We're trying to direct as many pucks as we can. But if he's seeing them, and catching them all, it's not

very effective. So, we have to come up with something new.

"They're doing a wonderful job of boxing us out."

Schneider pointed out that the Canucks had just one scoring chance from the slot in Game 3. It was Jannik

Hansen's and it nearly went in.

Trying to beat Quick from sharp angles is like trying to beat the Kings in 1-0 games. You are trying to

beat someone at their own game. The Kings have been in 10 1-0 games this season. Yes, they are well-

equipped to deal with a tight-checking game. Scoreless in the third? They're right at home, especially

Quick, whose shutout in Game 3 Sunday was his 11th of the year.

"There's a lot of things we can do to try and break down a goaltender and we've been trying to do that,"

Vigneault said. "The results would say we haven't been real successful."

Fighting more to take over the slot would be a great place to start. Actually, finding the slot would be a

great start. Maybe Daniel brought the GPS co-ordinates with him.

The most encouraging sign for the Canucks, if there is one, is their goaltending. It has been very good to

great for all three games in difficult circumstances. Both Schneider and Luongo are under immense pres-

sure. Because of the Canucks' inability to score, each goalie understands one mistake could cost the game.

Schneider played well in Game 3, and made one mistake when he directed a rebound to Dustin Brown.

That's all it took.

"You have to be perfect to beat them, and that's on me," Schneider said of the lone goal. "A lot of times

you play to the score, to the situation. I know that if I give up the goal, it may be the goal that makes the

difference.

"If their guy can do it, make every save, you feel you can do it. But you have to match him save for save.

"You try to make the big saves, and just hope that your guys get a few goals."

Vigneault didn't say who his goal-tender would be in Game 4, but no one should be surprised if he goes

back to Luongo. It's Luongo who was the No. 1 guy for most of the year, and if he still is, he gets the nod

for this must-win game.

"It's a results-driven business and we're not scoring," Vigneault said. "Our goaltenders, both of them, in

all three games, have given us a chance to win.

"But you need to score goals and we're not doing that right now."

So what do the Canucks need? They need something special.

"Sometimes, in the playoffs, it comes down to somebody making a great play," Schneider said. "I

remember last year, [Ryan] Kesler made that great individual effort to score a goal against Nashville.

"Sometimes, you need someone to step up and make a perfect shot or a perfect play to get that big goal."

A sweep would be a first

The Province April

It's a situation that's never come up in the 26-year history of the Presidents' Trophy: The winner has never

been swept in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

But that's the situation the Canucks are facing on Wednesday, being down 3-0 to the Los Angeles Kings

in their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

On five occasions, Presidents' Trophy winners have lost their first-round series. But the worst

performances were by the 1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks, 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings and 2008-09 San

Jose Sharks, who each lost their opening rounds four games to two. The 1999-2000 St. Louis Blues and

2009-10 Washington Capitals lost in a seventh game.

Digging through the NHL's history vault, one finds several top-ranked teams who lost opening-round

series - from the 1941-42 New York Rangers to the 1970-71 Montreal Cana-diens.

You have to go all the way back to the 1937-38 Boston Bruins to find something akin to the Canucks'

situation. That spring, the Bruins - led by Hart Trophy winner Eddie Shore - played the Toronto Maple

Leafs in their first playoff round, and lost 3-0. But there's at least one caveat here: The Bruins won the

American Division, the Leafs won the Canadian Division - and at that time, lower-seeded teams played

each other in a preliminary round, somehow rewarded for their mediocre play. In fact, the Chicago

Blackhawks - who won less than a third of their regular-season games, and would never have made the

playoffs in today's NHL - ended up as the Stanley Cup champions.

So it's not quite akin to the Canucks' situation. It would be like the Canucks being swept in four in a first-

round series against the Rangers - which wouldn't be as bad as their current predicament.

Nasty hockey shouldn't be surprising

'Respect is there ... sometimes you're not thinking straight when your blood's boiling'

By Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun

Darryl Sutter's take on the outbreak of mean-spirited cheap shots in these Stanley Cup playoffs is that he

hopes all three teams on the ice learn from them - meaning the two opposing hockey clubs and the

officials.

But really, there are four teams contributing to what San Jose coach Todd McLellan has called this

spring's "borderline chaos."

There are the competing sides, the on-ice officials ... and the department of player safety, where Brendan

Shanahan's wheel of justice spins to life with each new atrocity - and where it stops, no one knows.

The first two teams wait for the third to react. The third waits for the fourth. The fourth hems and haws

and punishes not for the crime, or even for the intent, but for the injury. And the first three go right on

doing what they were doing, rolling the dice that the victim will get back up, and life will resume as

before.

This is not, incidentally, any reflection on what happened at the Staples Center on Sunday, where the two

team captains came together in a seminal moment: the Los Angeles Kings' rugged series hero Dustin

Brown delivering a ferocious hit to unsuspecting Henrik Sedin in front of the Vancouver Canucks' bench,

leaving Henrik groping for breath or directions, or just someone to let him in the door.

Sedin, who's already lost his twin Daniel to a concussion - though the Canucks, down 0-3 in the series and

facing an ignominious end to a Presidents' Trophy season, say he will practise here today - called Brown's

hit clean. Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault basically said the same thing. And Sutter, the man of few

words behind the Kings' bench, concurred.

"I've seen it live, AND in Technicolour," he said Monday at the club's El Segundo practice facility, when

asked if he had viewed the replay.

"It looks good in both."

Across the National Hockey League, reaction to the spate of suspendable offences in the opening few

games of at least four playoff series - Philadelphia-Pittsburgh most notably, but also Nashville-Detroit,

New York-Ottawa and St. LouisSan Jose - has been loud and sustained.

Shanahan's court got off to a terrible start by giving Nashville defenceman Shea Weber a pass for

punching Detroit star Henrik Zetterberg and then slamming his head into the glass on a total non-hockey

play, excusing Weber with a paltry $2,500 fine because Zetterberg survived the crude assault without

overtly negative effects.

The message that sent was so amoral that when the Wings' Todd Bertuzzi skated out to exact retribution

from Weber in the next game, Detroit coach Mike Babcock made no bones about the motivation.

"I just thought that incident the other night wasn't a part of hockey," Babcock said. "And I think

sometimes when things don't get looked after you have to look after it yourself."

The message was that the cat was away, and the mice - rats, really - have come out to play ever since.

Pittsburgh, of all teams, has led the 16 playoff qualifiers to a total of 724 penalty minutes in the first 19

post-season games, the most since 2006 at this time, and as if to underline their frustration, have had more

players called on Shanahan's carpet for hearings than the Canucks have scored goals in the past two

games. Somewhere in the middle of all the head shots, sucker punches and intent-to-injure hits, though,

lies a mostly forgotten fact: hockey is, after all, a physical game, and not every hit that hurts an opponent

is a dirty one.

Case in point: Brown's on Sedin.

"Hockey is still a contact sport. There's hits that are going to be hard, and are going to hurt, but are still

within the rules, and that's the line you gotta play on," said Brown, who's been too much of a physical

force for any of the Canucks to handle, and has scored four goals besides.

"I mean, I got a good hit on [Henrik], a hard hit, and he stayed in the game. It's one of those situations

where you think about the Sedins, you think of their skill, how good offensively they are - but at the end

of the day they're still hockey players and they have that inner drive to go on and be difference makers.

He came back and it was probably a huge lift for them when he came back out of the dressing room."

Those who say the NHL's abandonment of the rule book - which happens to a degree every playoff

season but seemed to peak in last spring's Stanley Cup Final, and has carried forward - is setting the sport

back by several decades. It's the Big Bad Bruins and Broad Street Bullies all over again, they say, when

physical intimidation could, and did, trump skill, though each of those two-time championship teams of

the early '70s had an abundance of both qualities.

"I had a buddy tell me yesterday that a lot of that in the [Pittsburgh-Philly] series looked like Boston

versus us last year," Vigneault said Monday. "Maybe some teams are trying to do what the champions

did. It was successful, they won the Stanley Cup. We were one game away. Maybe if we win they're

trying to emulate us, with more skill. But Boston won it."

Sutter disagrees.

"The Philly-Pittsburgh series, when you look at it, it's not a physical series. Not a lot of honest contact

being made. It's more after the whistle or what appears on TV to be borderline dirty plays," said the Kings

coach.

Asked how this year's mayhem level compared to when he was a player, Sutter said "it's a lot less now."

Outbreaks after whistles, even during warmups, were more common in his day, he said, and added much

of the current outrage may be due to the omnipresence of TV cameras bringing endless highlights and

lowlights into everyone's homes. But some of the factors in the unruly behaviour are clear enough. There

are more teams, requiring more players and more officials, and a lot of them wouldn't have made the cut

20 or 30 years ago. Players make more money than ever, yet have less respect for one another's

livelihoods.

"I think for the most part, respect among players is there," said the Sharks' Ryane Clowe. "The only thing

is, sometimes you're not thinking straight when your blood's boiling."

It's no secret that with so many new officials, there is negligible rapport anymore between them and the

players, so the little warnings from veteran referees that were common in other times are not happening

now.

Sutter played before helmets were mandatory, and said that if you ever took a head shot at somebody,

you'd hear about it - from your own teammates, first, and then there'd be retribution coming. It just wasn't

done.

But there is an ebb and flow to the cycles of all things in hockey. Right now, it looks like the law of the

jungle out there. To a greater or lesser degree, it always has been.

NHL ON TSN QUIZ: WHICH CANUCK IS MOST IN THE CROSSHAIRS?

TSN.CA STAFF

Each week, the NHL on TSN panel voices its opinions on the hot topics of the day in the Game Night

Hockey Quiz.

As a follow-up, TSN.ca offers you the opportunity to chime in on all the big issues with our insiders. Read

up on all the questions and answers, and put in your own two cents on our popular Your Call feature.

Should the NHL put less emphasis on injury and more on the act itself when determining

supplemental discipline?

Aaron Ward: Yes, players will react and understand if there's no grey area. It's very clear: weigh it and

discipline on guilt alone. Keep it simple, you either did it or you didn't, and players will react from there.

Marc Crawford: No. I'm tired of this question. The league has a tough job to do and they have the right

amount of emphasis on discipline.

Bob McKenzie: I'll say yes. I think there needs to be a little more emphasis on intent but at the end of the

day, injury is still a huge factor. I know all sorts of people at home are screaming and pulling their hair

out, saying, ‘No, injuries shouldn't be the determining factor.' Well, injury is always a determining factor

in anything that happens, but there should be a little more emphasis on intent.

Which Canuck is most in the crosshairs as the team faces elimination: Alex Edler, Ryan Kesler,

Henrik Sedin, or Alain Vigneault?

McKenzie: I'll say Alex Edler because the Quizmaster didn't put Roberto Luongo on the list. Edler's just

had a really tough time and you feel terrible for a guy that has played so well in back-to-back playoffs for

the Canucks to not have his game right now. I think ultimately all those guys in the cross-hair come back

intact for the Canucks. Alain Vigneault is maybe the only one you question.

Ward: I'm going to go with Ryan Kesler. He set a standard that we as fans have come to expect; he's met

greater challenges over the playoffs. It's baffling that he has an inability to affect any aspect of the series

right now. In the past he's met a lot harder challenges, you need only to look to the fact that he's played

Chicago two consecutive years with so many distractions. When goaltending isn't the issue, your natural

selection graduates towards the leaders.

Crawford: I'd say Edler. I say it because he's lost a little bit of his confidence but he can get it back. He is

a very physical player and he needs to go out there and play physically. His game will come back.

Who has been the bigger impact player so far in the playoffs: Dustin Brown or Claude Giroux?

Ward: For me, Dustin Brown is the most physically dominant guy right now. He's what you expected out

of Kesler or Burrows in this series: physically dominant with an impact on the score sheet. He's managed

to single-handedly affect the direction of this entire series. He's my early Conn Smythe candidate. There's

nothing that he hasn't done at this point.

Crawford: Dustin Brown. For every reason that Aaron said and also I think his power and skating has

just been remarkable.

McKenzie: Make it a clean sweep. Claude Giroux's been terrific but I'll go with Dustin Brown. He's been

a physical presence; he's been an offensive force. This is a guy who, despite what anybody might say, was

very much potentially in play until word got out that he was in play at the Trade Deadline, at which time

the Kings wisely pulled him off the block. He's been a leader for them.

Who is doing the best job of channeling spirits from the NHL past: Braden Holtby as Ken Dryden,

Jonathan Quick as Rogie Vachon, Sean Couturier as Bobby Clarke, or all teams as 1970s NHL?

McKenzie: I'll say all the teams channeling the 1970s, but channeling the 70s light. I keep on hearing

about all this mayhem and chaos and violence and yes, it's been much different than in the regular season

- there's been a lot less structure, there's been less great goaltending – but if you saw the 1970s and the

stuff that went on in those games, it was frightening.

Ward: I'll say all the teams channeling the 1970s as well. High-scoring, high emotion, near donnybrooks.

But players are taking it even further in this era, embracing the dirty moustaches and the big, greasy

mullets. Players are embracing this era and bringing it back to life.

Crawford: I take Braden Holtby, the goaltender for Washington, channeling Ken Dryden. The reason is

that in 1970 I was a huge Bobby Orr fan and Ken Dryden broke my heart. I wanted to see the Bruins win

and Dryden was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner. I think this is a great story right now: Washington

might do it and they might break the Boston Bruins' heart.

What has been the best thing about Kevin Klein's playoff performance, his great goal, his shot

block, or his haircut?

Crawford: I'm going to take his incredible goal. It's remarkable, he's a defensive defenceman - one of the

better defensive defencemen in the league, he really is an unheralded guy - and for him to get a goal like

the one he scored, you could just see the Predators' bench pick up. Nobody roots more for a guy that

blocks shots and does team things. When he scores a great goal, that's special.

Ward: His shot block. As a player you know there's always a moment – a challenge – during a series or

the journey through the playoffs that you can mark as ‘that moment.' Klein's block could have been that.

You want to acknowledge anything – Pekka Rinne comes over to the boards and gives him a high-five

knowing that that kept Detroit out of the game.

McKenzie: I will go off the board and say all of the above. When Kevin Klein gets on the Quiz, he gets it

all. It is all three: a great goal, a great save, a great mohawk. Klein is a colourful character and a guy

who's got a lot of personality on a Nashville team that used to be fairly down the middle.

DANIEL SEDIN TO PARTICIPATE IN FULL CANUCKS PRACTICE TUESDAY

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- After missing 12 games with an apparent concussion, Daniel Sedin will be

with his Vancouver Canucks at their next practice.

Vancouver's top goal-scorer is showing up in Los Angeles just in time to witness either a stirring

comeback or a shocking fall.

"It'll be great to have him back, even if it's just in practice," goalie Cory Schneider said Tuesday outside

the Canucks' seaside hotel. "In a series where goals are hard to come by, a 30-goal scorer would be huge."

The Canucks don't know if Sedin can play in Game 4 on Wednesday night, but they certainly could use

the Swedish twin's scoring skills after they managed just four goals during three losses in five days.

The eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings have pushed the NHL's best regular-season team to the brink of

elimination with a remarkable stretch of tenacious play accented by a few lucky bounces, including the

rebound that went right to captain Dustin Brown for the only goal in Game 3.

The Kings attribute their incredible playoff start to chemistry that takes months to build and days to

unravel. The Canucks can relate: Sedin and his brother, Henrik, form one of the NHL's most potent

scoring tandems, and Daniel's absence forces many small changes that can add up to a big mess.

"Obviously right now, because Danny's not there, we've got quite a few guys playing out of roles, out of

their best possible position to help out this team," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. "That's nothing

new. You go through that in the regular season, but with the level of competition that we're up against and

the situation we're faced with, for him to be back in our lineup would obviously be a big boost. But we

don't know, so we'll see how everything goes."

Henrik Sedin clearly isn't at his best without his brother alongside. The playmaking specialist managed

just one shot and lost 13 of his 18 faceoffs in Game 3, and Brown flattened him with a shoulder hit in the

second period, briefly sending him to the locker room.

"We knew it was going to be like this," Sedin said. "I mean, we weren't hoping to be down 3-0, but we

are. It's about how you respond, and if we can play on Wednesday the way we played (in Game 3), if we

can get a bounce and get to their guy a little bit and win one game, it's going to go quick."

The Canucks spent Monday trying not to ponder their predicament. Although three of the last six

Presidents' Trophy winners have lost their first-round playoff series, Vancouver is one game away from

becoming the first team in the expansion era to fail to win even one post-season game after finishing with

the NHL's best regular-season record.

Vancouver is in a serious playoff slump, losing seven of eight post-season games. The Canucks have

scored just 12 goals in their last 10 post-season games encompassing last season's Stanley Cup finals and

the current round.

Meanwhile, saying the Kings are in an unfamiliar situation is a generational understatement: In their 44

years of existence, they had never held a 3-0 lead in a playoff series. Los Angeles has won just one

playoff round since 1993, none since 2001.

"The first time we played Vancouver (in 2010), there were a bunch of us who had never even played in

one playoff game," Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said. "We've improved our confidence and our

experience. We keep digging in, and that's why we're winning."

Although none of the Kings' homegrown players has even played in a potential series-clinching game,

several acquisitions have ample playoff experience, including Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and coach

Darryl Sutter. But while the well-tested Canucks have lacked big-game poise, Los Angeles has rallied

behind its relatively inexperienced captain.

"I haven't had the opportunity to play in a lot of big games, but I've felt great over the last quarter of the

year," said Brown, who has four goals in three games. "Hockey is a funny game. It's ups and downs,

confidence. It's just getting into a rhythm when you're feeling good. I've been just really focusing on

keeping my game a little more simple than I did early in the season. When you do that, good things start

to happen."

Everything is simple for both teams heading into Game 4: Either the Canucks will head home for a

depressingly early summer, or they'll force the Kings to make another trip to Canada.

Yet the Canucks have already reminded themselves about their firsthand knowledge of the fragility of a 3-

0 series lead. They were up three games on Chicago in the first round last season, but lost three straight

before a nail-biting victory in Game 7.

"That's a good example," Vancouver defenceman Keith Ballard said. "(The Blackhawks) were one

Roberto Luongo save away from winning that thing. We look at that from last year. We were a great

team, and we know we can produce something like that this year."

SPECTOR ON CANUCKS: UP AGAINST THE ROPES

Mark Spector

Twitter @SportsnetSpec

LOS ANGELES -- Alain Vigneault knows how hollow it sounds, talking for the second straight night

about how his Vancouver Canucks out-shot and out-chanced the Los Angeles Kings.

At some point, it begins to sound as if you are satisfied to win in those categories, even if you did not --

again -- best the Kings in the only stat that matters.

And, of course, Vigneault is not.

"This is a results-driven business," he finally said during his post-game address. "We didn't finish on the

power play, and we didn't finish five-on-five.

"We didn't get it done."

There is no fancy explanation for why, when Vancouver outshoots Los Angeles 41-20 and out-plays them

for roughly two-thirds of the night, that the only yawning-twine opportunity in the entire game should

bestow itself to series hero Dustin Brown, who could hardly have missed his fourth of the series.

Where last spring one of Alexandre Burrows' many decent scoring chances would have resulted in a goal,

this spring it has not -- despite an eight-shot night by No. 14. But last year, Burrows had that extra

second, because the opposition generally was more focused on checking Henrik Sedin's other winger, the

one named Daniel.

This spring, Daniel is nowhere to be seen. Neither has Alex Edler been, for that matter, though the former

No. 1 defenceman was seen icing the puck prior to the game's only goal. (In short, Edler has been brutal

this spring, defining that old cliché that says your best players must be your best players or you will not

win.)

Down 3-0 in the first round; Scorers of just four goals in three playoff games; Losers of seven of their

past eight playoff games in total.

What's the mood of this Canucks team right now?

"What do you think?" Kevin Bieksa fired back at an innocent reporter (wasn't me!) post-game. "We're

down three-nothing. It's not very good."

That was as overt as the negativity got however, in a dressing room that still has plenty of leadership.

They'll get a day off Monday, go back to practice Tuesday, and play for the young Kings on Wednesday

the part of that heavyweight champion with his back on the ropes.

"We still have to learn how to win, right?" offered Kings coach Darryl Sutter. "You don't get nuthin' for

three."

It is confounding for Vancouver, a team that clearly knows how to win, but can't figure out a path past

Jonathan Quick and the Kings. They're outshooting L.A., out-chancing them for two games, yet somehow

the team that hasn't won a playoff series since 2001 has more guile than one that won three series' only

last year.

"We're feeling pretty good about ourselves," said Anze Kopitar, who has been a King for six seasons now,

and like many here is ready for this rebuild to take the next step.

"For sure. Especially in this city," echoed Jarret Stoll. "The last time they made a run, Gretzky was here.

We hear about it all the time from fans, how much fun that was back in the Forum, goin' to the finals.

They talk about it like it was yesterday.

"We want to bring that back to the city."

Is this the Kings' time?

"You've got to make it your time," said Stoll. "It doesn't just happen."

Down the hall, the Canucks would rather not talk about time. It is too precious right now.

This was supposed to be another lengthy playoff run in Vancouver. Now? Is Whistler still open?

Teams come back from three-game playoff deficits every 30 years or so, and the Philadelphia Flyers

played that card in 2010 against Boston.

They've got two days now in which to fool themselves into thinking they've still got a decent shot here.

That process began immediately after Game 3.

"We took care of that right after the game," Henrik said of the team's mood heading into an off day

Monday. "We can't be down. We've got to look at this game as a positive. If we keep doing this, we're

going to turn it around."

What was said? Who said it?

"That's going to stay in here," said Henrik, who returned after a hellacious hit from Brown. Henrik

declared it a clean hit after the game.

"I think we'd rather play tomorrow," the Canucks captain said of the comeback process. "It's inches right

now. That's what’s deciding the game. We're close. Really close, and I really believe we've got the guys

in here who can turn this around. I've got no doubt about that."

Goal-starved Canucks scrounge for way out of hole

ERIC DUHATSCHEK | Columnist profile | E-mail

LOS ANGELES— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter is a delightfully old-school fellow which, among other

qualities, allows him to cut to the heart of the matter when he wants to.

The Sutter-led Calgary Flames unexpectedly knocked out the first-place Vancouver Canucks in the

opening round of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs – and now his Kings are on the brink of doing the same

in 2012.

But, according to Sutter, “they don’t give you nuthin’ for winning three.” And that droll observation

nicely sums up a best-of-seven series the Kings lead 3-0, but which potentially faces a new wrinkle.

Injured Canucks forward Daniel Sedin [concussion] is joining the team in time for Tuesday afternoon’s

practice and if all goes well, he might be a candidate to play in Wednesday’s pivotal fourth game.

“A player with this type of injury, you have to be healthy and ready to go,” coach Alain Vigneault

cautioned. “That’s a decision that he and the doctors will make together.”

Sedin’s return is not a sure thing. Nor is it certain what he might contribute, after nearly a month on the

sidelines, if he does play.

Vancouver finds itself in a hole, not because of its goaltending issues or its perceived lack of toughness or

even because defenceman Alexander Edler is struggling to meet his considerable potential.

The Canucks are behind because they cannot score, and they cannot score largely because their most-

talented goal-scorer – Daniel Sedin – isn’t playing. This has a spillover effect on Henrik Sedin, a

playmaker extraordinaire, who isn’t having the same luck setting up his current linemates as he does

when his twin brother is patrolling the wing.

The Kings are Vancouver’s match defensively, even with all hands on deck. (That’s what happens when

you boast a Vézina Trophy candidate in goal (Jonathan Quick) and a high-end defenceman (Drew

Doughty) with the proven ability to raise his game in pressure situations.)

On paper, Vancouver’s primary edge was it has more difference makers up front; and if every game was

going down to the wire, that should tilt the balance slightly in its favour.

So far, it’s gone the opposite way. Los Angeles is producing all the key offensive plays with the game on

the line (Mike Richards in the first game, and Dustin Brown in the last two).

Daniel Sedin led the Canucks in power-play scoring in each of the past two seasons. Thus far, the

Canucks are 0-for-14 with the man advantage. Can anyone connect the dots?

But that’s the reality of the 2012 NHL playoffs – a.k.a. The Concussion Games – where good health is as

important as systems and momentum and all the other factors analysts love to dwell on.

At the 2012 trade deadline, the Canucks determined they needed to tweak the roster to add toughness and

defence. The cost of adding Zack Kassian and his considerable potential was centre Cody Hodgson, who

was providing decent offence in a supporting role.

Vigneault used to refer to the second power play as “Cody’s group” with Henrik Sedin anchoring the No.

1 unit. With Daniel Sedin out and the Canucks wondering where the next goal was coming from, perhaps

Hodgson would have made a difference.

Of course, the ethic of professional hockey is such that injuries are never permitted to be an excuse or

used as an explanation.

The Canucks took a maintenance day Monday at their beachfront hotel, with only handful of players

meeting the press in the early afternoon. One of them was Samme Pahlsson, who thought Daniel Sedin’s

return could provide a boost, but shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a cure-all either.

“He’s our leading scorer and we want him out there, but we should be able to score some goals without

him too,” Pahlsson said.

So the Canucks seized on history and team captain Henrik Sedin made a defensible point after last

Sunday’s loss: That one year ago, in an opening-round playoff series, Vancouver allowed the Chicago

Blackhawks to overcome a 3-0 deficit and ultimately needed an overtime goal in Game 7 to advance.

In the age of NHL parity, the historical long odds – only three teams in history have ever come all the

way back from being down 3-0 – may not mean as much as it once did. It happened as recently as 2010,

when the Philadelphia Flyers rallied to eliminate the Boston Bruins.

Vigneault did not soft-sell the odds.

“I don’t think our guys are discouraged, but, obviously, we’re faced with a huge challenge,” he said.

“I thought the last two games, we’ve executed well, but it’s a results-driven business and we’re not

scoring. Our goaltenders, both of them, have given us a chance in all three games to win but you need to

score goals – and we’re not doing that right now.”

Canucks: Daniel Sedin headed to L.A.

ERIC DUHATSCHEK

SANTA MONICA, Calif— Globe and Mail Update

The cavalry, in the person of injured star Daniel Sedin, may be about to arrive.

According to the Vancouver Canucks’ official Twitter feed, Sedin is en route to Los Angeles and will join

the team for a full practice Tuesday, in the hopes that he’ll be back in the lineup for Wednesday’s fourth

game of the Western Conference quarter-final.

The Kings lead the series 3-0 and a primary reason is Vancouver’s inability to score – and to score on the

power play. Sedin is their perennial goal-scoring leader and has 28 power-play goals to his credit over the

past two seasons.

Coach Alain Vigneault said he couldn’t say for sure yet whether Sedin would be able to return to the

lineup.

“That won’t be my decision, that’s a medical decision,” said Vigneault. “He’s been skating now for quite

a few days. They feel he’s progressed real well and he’s cleared to practice with the team. Exactly what

that means, we’ll have a better indication in the next couple of days.”

Asked what Sedin’s return might mean to a Canucks team whose season is teetering on the brink,

Vigneault replied: “Well, he’s our top scorer. Is that a good answer?

“Obviously, right now, because Danny’s not there, we’ve got quite a few guys playing out of roles or out

of their best possible position to help out this team. That’s nothing new. You go through that throughout

the regular season, but obviously right now, with the level of competition we’re up against, and the

situation we’re faced with, to have him back in our lineup would be a big boost. But we don’t know, so

we’ll see how everything goes in the next little while here.”

The Canucks took a maintenance day Monday at their beachfront hotel, with only a handful of players

meeting the press in the early afternoon.

One of them was Sedin’s fellow Swede, Samuel Pahlsson, who thought Daniel’s return could provide a

boost, but shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a saviour either.

“Like you said, he’s our leading scorer and we want him out there, but we should be able to score some

goals without him too,” said Pahlsson.

Thus far in the series, Vancouver has managed only four goals in three games.

Canucks are really due for a Cup, but window of opportunity is closing

GARY MASON | Columnist profile | E-mail

VANCOUVER— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

This was not supposed to be the postseason script for the NHL’s best regular-season team: on the brink of

elimination, in the first round, in possibly four games straight.

But that’s precisely where the Presidents’ Trophy winner Vancouver Canucks find themselves in their

best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Kings. Their season could be kaput on Wednesday.

To suggest such an outcome would prompt handwringing among the team’s fanatical supporters would be

a laughable understatement. There will be shrinks in these parts dealing with the fallout from such a result

for months to come.

It is not just a hockey team teetering on the brink – but a whole city and province.

Not that there aren’t fans in Canada enjoying every bit of this. Schadenfreude has become an all-too-

familiar sentiment this time of year in playoff-deprived hockey markets such as Toronto and Edmonton.

Of course, the Canucks’ reputation for being a team of whiners, divers but mostly high achievers doesn’t

help. (St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock has said all the Canucks need to do to become more

loved is lose more often).

Yet there are many prepared to cheer on any Canadian team in the NHL playoffs, regardless of which city

it represents. But who would have thought that the last hope for the Cup returning to Canada this year

(after an 18-season drought) might rest on the shoulders of the Ottawa Senators?

Not that the Canucks are out of it yet. They’re not. But they have a fundamental problem; they can’t

score. This dilemma is exacerbated by the fact they don’t have their top sniper, Daniel Sedin, who is out

with a concussion. Sedin has been cleared to practise with the team Tuesday, although it is not yet known

if he will play in Game 4.

Now, if this was, say, Phoenix or Florida, this might all be written off as fate, and life for the fans there

would simply carry on.

But this is Canada, and in this case, Vancouver, a city that has never won the Cup while getting oh, so

close, a couple of times.

While the Canucks never had a chance in 1982 when they were swept four straight in the Cup final by the

New York Islanders, they nearly pulled it off 12 years later against the New York Rangers. That ended in

Game 7 heartbreak and led to the city’s first Stanley Cup riot.

Last year, of course, the Canucks ran away with the Presidents’ Trophy and were prohibitive favourites to

win hockey’s Holy Grail. As everyone knows, the team lost in the finals to the Boston Bruins, which led

to the city’s second Stanley Cup riot.

All of this is to explain, partly at least, the complicated layers of turmoil and emotion upon which support

for this team is built. On top of that, for the past 10 years or so, the Canucks have been one of the best

teams in hockey, after years of being a league doormat and laughingstock. There is a deep and abiding

sense that the team is due. Really due.

This year, the Canucks made changes to address the perceived shortcomings in last season’s Cup-losing

roster. The team was supposed to be more playoff ready, more battle tested. Even though a letdown from

last season’s record-breaking regular-season pace was to be expected, the Canucks still won the

Presidents’ Trophy – for the second year in a row.

Five teams with the best record during the regular season have been bounced in the first round of the

playoffs. Only six teams who captured the Presidents’ Trophy since it was first presented in 1985-86 have

won the Stanley Cup the same year.

Detroit was league-best six times during the regular season and ended up winning the Cup only twice in

those years. In other words, the Presidents’ Trophy guarantees you nothing.

Still, organizations have windows of opportunity, those years when your best players are at their peak and

your chances of winning the Cup are at their height. That window for the Canucks is now. They have

some of the best players in the league, including twins who may already have begun the descent from the

zenith of their powers.

The team’s window got a little narrower after last year’s Game 7 loss to Boston. Should it lose its first-

round matchup against Los Angeles, that window will close even more.

And no doubt prompt many to wonder if the day the Cup comes to Vancouver is ever fated to be.