Confident Hawks ready to test Vancouver's mettle
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Deep down inside, the Blackhawks believe they can beat the Vancouver Canucks in their first round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Would be it considered an upset? Absolutely, based on Vancouver's terrific regular season.
Would it surprise anyone if the Hawks won? Certainly not.
The Hawks might be the eighth seed in the Western Conference portion of the tournament, but 12 of them have Stanley Cup rings tucked away in safety deposit boxes — and for several players, those rings are sitting next to Olympic medals.
“They've proven they can win on the big stage and play through adversity,” Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said Tuesday.
The fact is the Hawks are confident they can win this series, and that little bit of doubt that might be in the back of the heads of the Canucks after two straight playoff eliminations at the hands of their biter rivals is what makes this hardly an ordinary No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed first-round matchup.
“Until we beat those guys there's always going to be a little bit of doubt in the back of our heads,” said Kevin Bieksa, the always straight-shooting Canucks defenseman.
“We're not going into this series thinking it's impossible to beat this team, because it's not,” Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “They're a very good team and you respect that and you respect what they do well, but at the same time it comes down to who wants it more.”
That little bit of doubt that Bieksa might have, or Roberto Luongo, or Henrik Sedin is what the Hawks need to capitalize on in Game 1 tonight at Rogers Arena.
Can you imagine what would be going through the heads of the Canucks if the Hawks stole Game 1?
But beating the Canucks is easier said than done. They are a better team this time around, much improved on defense, and the Hawks simply aren't as deep up front.
In fact, only five forwards who played in last year's second-round series against Vancouver will be in tonight's lineup, six if Troy Brouwer plays.
This is when the Hawks truly could miss Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg and Brent Sopel for a variety of reasons, but perhaps first and foremost their big-play capabilities in the clutch.
Containing Henrik and Daniel Sedin is a must for the Hawks, who would be helped greatly if Dave Bolland could play and pester the Sedins like he has done so well in the past. Bolland, however, is doubtful for Game 1.
“Defense is going to be important,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “I still think we want to make sure we're in that offensive zone more than we're in our zone.
“Special teams are definitely going to be very important. They have the top power play and managing the Sedins is going to be the challenge for the guys who are out there against them.”
While the Sedins might be two of the greatest offensive players in the NHL, they aren't known for their defense, which is what the Hawks want to exploit.
“For the most part you want to keep the puck away from them,” Toews said. “If you can play in their zone, they're not the two types of guys that want to play in their own zone. They want to play offense and create offense.”
Without a doubt Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will be on the ice each time the Sedins step out.
“We're going to have to be great against this team,” Keith said.
This would be considered another failed season for the Canucks should they not get past the Hawks and at least make a serious run at the Stanley Cup.
“You get measured by playoffs,” Daniel Sedin said. “Win all you want in the regular season, but if you don't win in the playoffs you're no one.”