Canucks hoping Sedins can capitalize in Game 4
Vancouver needs power play to punish Calgary for penalties
CALGARY (CP) — When the Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 4-1 last Friday, their power play clicked and their top line scored.
Neither of those things happened during losses to the Flames in Games 1 and 3 and now the Canucks are facing a 2-1 deficit in their Western Conference quarter-final series. Game 4 is tonight at Scotiabank Saddledome.
“The second game at home our power play was really good,” Canucks forward Daniel Sedin said Monday.
“Last game we had a few chances, but not good enough,” he added. “In a game like that on the road, you need your power play to step up.”
Sedin scored his lone goal of the series when he converted a feed from his brother Henrik at 2:56 of the first period in Friday’s win at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.
The Canucks went up 2-0 on a power-play goal by Chris Higgins and cruised to victory. The Canucks have had 10 chances with the man advantage so far in the series, but have only the goal by Higgins to show for their efforts.
“It needs to be better,” stressed Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins. “It’s not that we haven’t had some chances, we just have to get it going.”
Both Sedin brothers agreed with their coach’s assessment.
“It seems like we can get some looks, but it’s about scoring,” said Henrik, the captain who managed just one shot on net during Sunday’s 4-2 setback. “I thought we had some early chances where we had some chances to score, but we didn’t capitalize.”
Added Daniel: “We have a plan of what we want to do. We have to execute, that’s the bottom line — crisp passes, quicker passes. We’re almost there. I think we’re close. I think our breakouts are fine. We just have to move the puck faster and get the shots.”
The Canucks received some good news Monday as forward Alex Burrows, who plays on Vancouver’s top line with the Sedins, will not be suspended.
Burrows was assessed an instigator penalty in the dying stages of Sunday’s defeat after an incident with Calgary defenceman Kris Russell. That came with an automatic game misconduct, which the league later rescinded.
Daniel said he and his brother are looking forward to having Burrows back on their line tonight.
“Our line has been, for the last game maybe not so good, but for the first two games, we played really well,” Daniel said. “I thought even the last game, we had a few chances. I don’t think that’s a concern. We need more goals and it’s up to us to do that.
“A little bit more five-on-five and a little bit more power play, I think we’re going to get going. There’s no question about that.”
Vancouver defenceman Kevin Bieksa said the Canucks have to do a better job of containing Calgary’s forecheck game.
“They’re pinching a lot on us right now and we’re not clean, so when we do get the puck out, it’s been jammed right down our throats,” said Bieksa. “It’s a vicious cycle. We have to get on the other side of it.”