With grit and speed, Hawks send Canucks' heads spinning

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - When the normally mild-mannered Daniel Sedin gets frustrated not once, but twice in the same game and goes after Dave Bolland, you know the Blackhawks have gotten into the heads of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks waited a whole year to get another shot at the Hawks in the playoffs, but it's becoming more a case of deja vu all over again.

By losing to the Hawks 5-2 Wednesday night in Game 3 in the manner they did, you have to wonder how much doubt there now is in the minds of the Canucks that they can beat a Hawks team that is playing grittier, smarter and harder than the Vancouver for the second spring in a row.

"Chicago's not a better team than us, they're not playing better than us; they're just doing a better job in front of the net, both places," Canucks goalie and captain Roberto Luongo said Thursday.

Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said all the right things on Thursday when asked if his team now had the mental edge in the series.

"We're not here to play any games off the ice," Toews said. "We're not thinking we have the mental edge or anything like that. The only thing that's ever mattered to us is the way we play the game and how we prepare to play them. We've done that well enough to earn a 2-1 series lead so that's all it is right now."

The Canucks again talked about how they need to go harder to the net and make life miserable for Antti Niemi, just as the Hawks are doing to Luongo on almost every shift.

The problem is, the Hawks have 12 forwards willing and able to get to the net and pay a price while the Canucks appear to have only a few. Ryan Kesler is one of them, but the talk here is the big and physical center is playing with a bad shoulder.

The Hawks scored all 5 goals in game 3 on rebounds by crashing the net, with Dustin Byfuglien getting the hat trick.

"It's not just Byfuglien," Canucks defenseman Shane O'Brien said. "He's the most noticeable because he's the biggest guy, but Toews is going to the net hard, (Andrew) Ladd, (Kris) Versteeg - they're all going to the net hard."

Added Canucks coach Alain Vigneault: "The guy going the hardest and getting away with the most is Toews. He's pitched forked Louie and run over Louie. He's doing everything he can to create offense."

Both teams have fast and skilled forwards, but the Hawks have shown in the last two playoff years that they can crank up the grit level when it's needed.

"We've got a lot of speed up front and I think guys, come playoff time, you've got to rise out of your comfort zone a little bit," O'Brien said. "Maybe we don't have that type of forward or whatever, but you've got to find a way to get there.

"Our guys are fast enough to get there. There's different ways of going to the net, you just don't have to plow your way in there. You can use your speed to get to the net. It's about getting in there and taking the hits and whacks that come along with getting to the net. I know the guys want to do that, and we're going to have to do that."

So far the Canucks have only been able to talk a good game. Their plan now for Game 4 Friday night is to get to Niemi and rattle the first-year goalie.

"If they want to come, let them come," Niemi said.

The Canucks feel the referees are being more than liberal with the crease crashing.

"We know what's being called," Vigneault said. "We know what the limit is. We've got to go to the limit."

The 6-foot-4, 257-pound Byfuglien boasted after his hat trick that the Canucks can't contain him, and he will have to be considered right until proven wrong.

"He was in the middle of everything," Marian Hossa said. "He was dominating in the corners in the physical department and frustrating the other team."

Speaking of frustrated, back to Daniel Sedin.

Sedin took a roughing penalty with Bolland at 17:19 of the first period just as the Canucks were getting ready to go on a power play. Then with 3:12 to play and the game out of hand, Sedin grabbed Bolland again near the Hawks' bench, starting a near brawl that included Burrows taking a cheap-shot at Bolland from behind.

"We worry too much about them," Sedin admitted.

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<li><a href="/story/?id=378958">Canucks agree Byfuglien poses a sizable challenge <span class="date">[5/6/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=378968">Hawks have done solid job of silencing the Sedins <span class="date">[5/6/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=378879">Another cable ratings mark for Blackhawks <span class="date">[5/6/10]</span></a></li>

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