Second-unit power play has an excellent example

At times you almost felt like pitying the Canucks’ second power-play unit.

When the first unit clicks, they make everything look easy.

Not just those one-touch tic-tactoe plays, undefendable cycling and no-look Henrik Sedin saucers that land right on a teammate’s stick, but the seeming ease with which they gain the zone in the first place.

It can make the second unit look just plain bad by comparison.

“It’s tough to look good following the first unit sometimes,” Chris Higgins said with a chuckle.

“We try to pick up on what they do so well, what has made them so successful for such a long time.

“Just try to learn from them on the bench and you hope it works out for you when you get on the ice.” And guess what? It is working.

Cody Hodgson has three of the Canucks’ past seven power-play goals (going back seven games now) and he set up a fourth by Alex Burrows.

They might not look as pretty as the Sedins’ unit, but with Sami Salo out of action, Burrows on the point with the top unit, and David Booth back to join unit No. 2, it’s clicking.

“They do make it look easy, exactly,” Hodgson said of the first unit.

“That’s why, when you first look at it, it’s tough to see how they do that.

“Then you realize they execute at such a high level, they just take what the other team gives them. They make it look really simple, but they work hard.”

The second unit has its own strengths and weaknesses, and special teams coach Newell Brown has added tweaks to reflect that.

But how better to learn than from ice level when the No. 1 unit is on the ice?

“That’s the best power play that I’ve seen, ever,” Booth said.

“I think it’s good for us to watch them. They have such patience, such poise with the puck, we try to carry that over to our power play.

“They do, they make it look easy. And it’s really not.”