Canucks versus Dallas – Game 5 Notes

PERIOD 1:

1:00 Great move, shot and chance by Smolinski. Nice to see him play with his abilities and actually get a shot on net.

2:30 Bieksa gives away the puck again – once again proves he’s our biggest liability as well as being the most improved Canuck..

3:30 Canuck power-play looks suspect… but a nice shot by Salo from the point, and a great screen by Pyatt.

4:00 Great forcheck by Bullis. Boy has he improved from the regular season.

4:30 Lindros and team crash the net and take huge liberties with Luongo. The Canucks have to be tougher at the crease.

Lindros looks very good. It’s his first playoff game in 7 years – 3rd in 9 years.

10:00 Great penalty kill by Burrows, Bullis and Morrison. Ohlund doesn’t look as good… Modano is on the left point instead of Sydor, who scored their only goal last game (Modano didn’t have a shot!). Bad coaching by Tippett… he won’t survive the post season (this team has far too much talent to be down 3-1 versus Vancouver. I point to the coaching. Mark my word about him being fired (unless they come back to win the series… 98.5% unlikely versus Luongo).

11:00 Great defensive move by Sopel to beack check on Halpern! Text book!

12:00 Great shift by Naslund and Sedins! Great forcheck by Nazzy!

Why is Dallas dumping the puck in and laying up?!?! You can’t do that versus the Canucks. Wow, Tippett is really missing the mark with his coaching. The system is all wrong… Vancouver doesn’t have the big transition game; Dallas has to come with the aggressive forcheck and more importantly skate the puck into the offensive zone and set-up the attack. Where is the desperation?!? They lose tonight and they’re done… man, this is amazingly bad coaching.

17:00 Naslund is playing sensational! The forchecks, the hits, the hustle, the passing!

18:20 Nice work by Sopel and Bullis down deep... The turnaround in Bullis’ game is also remarkable. I’m beginning the think that destiny is on the side of the Canucks…

End of Period – Shots on goal: 10 for Vancouver, 7 for Dallas. Ohlund leads all players with 8:43 in ice time.

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PERIOD 2:

2:00 What hit by Hansen on Sydor!! Who is this kid?!? I love this Dane!!

2:40 Smolinski blows the 3-on-2 without a chance on goal…

4:30 Great pass by Morrision; great move by Hansen to break out and control the puck on the partial break!

4:40 Nice steal by Naslund at center ice. Definitely the best player on the ice.

13:00 Ohlund out of position so he has to take a penalty to prevent the breakaway… Sydor back on the power play. If Dallas scores I believe they’ll win this…

16:00 Great block and kill by Bullis!! Who is this guy?!?! Man I hated this dude during the regular season… I love his new evil twin brother!!

Nice power play by Dallas. An increased tempo and pace now to the game… it’s feeling more like a playoff game. Dallas is carrying the play now, but Vancouver has their chances (not too many shots hitting the net though).

15:30 Another great shift by Naslund and the Sedins.

15:45 Great poke-check by Luongo!

17:20 Tough play for Hansen to corral that puck and get a shot off on the 2-on-1… shot grazes the post too! Wow – that’s a big league sniper play!

18:30 Holy cow – the Sedins and Naslund looked like they were on the power play.

19:00 Great shift for Pyatt and Linden…

End of Period – Big period by Dallas. The shots are one-sided in their favour but the play was more even (the power plays skewing the shots and the appearance of an overly dominant period). Continued strong tending by Bobby Lu.

Another overtime period perchance? I'm not so sure... if I had to gamble I think the Stars are going to be aggressive and will push a little harder for the third. They should come out flying and establish a fast tempo to the third... if that happens there will be some goals and likely a regulation finish.

PERIOD 3:

1:30 Dallas almost scores on itself on the empty net! The puck grazes the post! Good god… is this a foreshadow of things to come for Dallas?

9:13 Yet another missed shot by Smolinski… is anyone else picking up on this? What has to be one of the worst shots by a top 9 forward in the NHL… he’s good on the cycle but the cycle is not a means to an end.

Great pace to this game now!

15:30 What pass by Linden to Daniel! What a move by Daniel! What a save by Turco!!

Bullis has had a couple of chances, a couple of hits and a couple of blocked shots… easily the best skater on the ice tonight. Luongo is huge… and he got a little lucky too with that trickle past the net.

19:40 What a move by Daniel Sedin to the net, but a spectacular defensive sprawl by Daley to prevent the move on Turco. Huge play by Daley.

End of Regulation – Vancouver 0 – Dallas 0

Yet another overtime! And Dallas has backed themselves into a do or die against the kings of overtime. Not a comfortable position. The Stars came out a lot better in the 3rd but it might be too late. It was an exciting period though… what a difference compared to last game (game 4).

Ron McLean just predicted Smolinski to score the OT winner for Vancouver… good god. To Brian’s credit he finished with 3 shots on goal but he was only credited with 1 missed shot… that’s dam generous by the statisticians.

Overtime 1:

Yet another overtime! And Dallas has backed themselves into a do or die against the kings of overtime. Not a comfortable position. The Stars came out a lot better in the 3rd but it might be too late. It was an exciting period though… what a difference compared to last game (game 4).

Turco has been dam good too. Wow. I really feel for him since his team is very unlikely to win this now… However, if Dallas wins this, they could win the series. The next game is back in Dallas and I think it close to impossible that they lose all 3 playoff home games to a Vancouver Canucks offense.

Ron McLean just predicted Smolinski to score the OT winner for Vancouver… good god. To Brian’s credit he finished with 3 shots on goal but he was only credited with 1 missed shot… that’s dam generous by the statisticians.

Overtime 1:

3:45 Great shift by Barnes and Halpern.

I’m so impressed by Hansen and Bullis. Morrison however… I’m not sure I’ve noticed him tonight at all (zero shots on goal, zero missed shtos).

God dam Kraijeck almost killed us with that dumb ass pinch. Too many men result on the desperate line change to save the ensuing Dallas breakaway. What a dumb ass penalty for a playoff OT game. Bieksa has the puck and carries it in… why would Kraijeck risk the pinch?!?!?

6:22 GOAL for Dallas. OT winner by Brenden Morrow. A great tip and a great move to the net by the Dallas captain on the power play (assist to Kraijeck).

FINAL SCORE: Dallas 1 – Vancouver 0.

SERIES: Vancouver 3 – Dallas 2.

Good show Kraijeck. This smells like Minnesota all over again.

Turco has to be the first star. I would personally vote for Morrow as the 2nd star and Bullis as the third but I don’t think anyone will vote for Bullis.

HNIC’s 3-stars:

1- Turco
2- Luongo
3- Morrow

Oh yeah, I forgot about Luongo…

Canucks fans should be afraid, very afraid. Having said that, it was a good team performance from top to bottom. Dallas is a very good team -- they're much better than what they are given credit for (they did have afterall 107 points in a division with San Jose and Anaheim -- both Cup contenders).