Canucks hope to find their way in San Jose

VANCOUVER— The Vancouver Canucks are looking for heroes — unsung or otherwise — as they prepare for Game 3 of their Western Conference quarter-final with the San Jose Sharks.

With Games 3 and 4 going Sunday and Tuesday in Silicon Valley, the Canucks are hoping to close the gap on the Sharks, who lead the best-ofseven series 2-0 after claiming the first two contests in Vancouver.

“Whether you want to call (them) difference makers or heroes, somebody’s got to step up and make a difference,” coach Alain Vigneault said Saturday before the Canucks headed to San Jose.

The situation is eerily familiar to a year ago, when the Canucks were in the same situation against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, dropping the first two games in Vancouver before getting a split in Southern California to earn another game at home. Vigneault’s crew must gain at least a split in San Jose to take the series back to Vancouver. However, the Canucks’ challenge is huge as they try to rebound from a heart-breaking 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks in Game 2. Vancouver held a 2-1 lead before Patrick Marleau tied the game in the final minute and Raffi Torris gave San Jose the win 51⁄ minutes into the extra session. Vigneault says his players must be angry after coming within a couple of seconds of getting a win as Jannik Hansen missed a shot at an empty net with just over a minute left in regulation time. “We felt like we should have won,” said Canucks forward Ryan Kesler, who scored both of his team’s goals in Game 2. “It didn’t happen. We need to channel that frustration and take that frustration into Game 3, and play the same way and channel in the positive energy.” Kesler wants his club to play the same way it did Friday. “It’s 0-0 again, and we can easily turn this series around with one game,” he said. The Sharks took all three regularseason meetings from the Canucks this year and San Jose lost only two games at home in regulation time. “We came close this year,” said Vancouver winger Alex Burrows. “We’ve won in there before. We’ve played some good games in their building. It’s the same ice sheet, it’s the same dimensions as Rogers Arena. We play a good game, I’m sure we can get it done.”