Game 5 - Ducks versus Canucks

PRE-GAME (6pm):

Tough to blog this when you know the sad outcome. I know, I predicted the Canucks would lose in 5 games. It doesn’t make it any easier to watch when you see them outplay the Ducks for most of the time since game one. But poor discipline and a totally absent power play equals many, many losses.

It’s tough; and that’s what being a fan (fanatic) is all about. I hate my emotional committment to this team... I hate the lows that come with losing. Even despite the fact this has been such a great season for this team. And I mean great. But losing sucks. It really sucks and is affecting my mood for the worse.

PERIOD 1:

I’m not going to blog every significant play. But a few comments….

Luongo looks great. Naslund looks pretty good. Salo looks quite strong. Smolinski takes a dumb penalty. Linden looks good.

The Canucks look deflated and depressed and resigned to the inevitable. There’s no chance – ZERO chance – of winning unless we get the first goal on either A) a lucky bounce or break, B) an incredible, pick-the-corner goal.

End of Period.

Vancouver 0 – Anaheim 0.

Shots on goal: Anaheim 17 – Vancouver 6. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Hrudey and Simpson call out Smolinski for taking a bad off-side on the break out. They call out Pyatt for standing still on the back-check. They call out Bullis for a week clearing attempt.

PERIOD 2:

GOAL ANAHEIM. Predictable.

Anaheim 1 – Vancouver 0.

Naslund makes a great move to the net and draws a penalty. Two-man advantage Vancouver. The power play actually looks good. Except for Linden . Naslund looks great out there. We are putting on the pressure; we’re getting shots! Canucks hit the crossbar! But Giguere is stopping everything. And then Smolinski turns it over… on the power play!! Good lord…

PERIOD 3:

GOAL VANCOUVER. Great hustle and shift by Green, Reid and Burrows. Really, these guys have looked awful the past couple of games but they really saved the best for the most crucial time. I’m afraid though they’re only giving us false hope…

VANCOUVER 1 – ANAHEIM 1

End of Period

Heading to overtime – again.

OVERTIME 1:

One of the most bizarre openings to a critical overtime I’ve ever seen. Luongo has equipment problems… the back-up Sabourin has to come in. The Canucks completely collapsed and the Ducks pounced – peppering Sabourin with 5 shots and completely dominating the play. Then Luongo fixes the equipment and makes it back and the momentum entirely shifts to Vancouver! …until Mitchell takes a delay of game penalty, and puts the Ducks on the power play. Luongo comes up huge with big saves!

Vancouver assistant coach Rick Bowness laughs off the Luongo substitution and says it was purely an equipment problem. He insists with a smile and a chuckle that Luongo will be starting the 2nd overtime period.

Ironically, with a very strange twist, outside of the Sabourin substitution and the power play, the Canucks carry the play and had some very big chances. The biggest chance though was the streaking Getzlaf tip, and the McDonald chance, in all alone and he slides it wide under the pads of Luongo.

Hrudey praises Luongo and there’s consensus all around. Hrudey praises Naslund for his play and particularly his skating. I concur. Luongo and Naslund are playing great.

Canucks GM Dave Nonis is outside the Vancouver locker room pacing… perhaps worried about the “equipment problem” (quote-un-quote).

Wow! I’m not usually a believer in karma but there is some weird vibes going on here… I though the Canucks were out for sure. But the bizarre “equipment problem” has completely shifted the energy here. Vancouver has some jump again and it looks as if they’ve visibly retrieved their confidence and zip. The pressure now has completely shifted to the Ducks to win this and I’m not sure they will… I’m betting on either Naslund or Daniel Sedin to end it (maybe Linden). I don’t think Anaheim can win this now unless they get the LUCKY BOUNCE (the same bounce I though was Vancouver’s only saviour).

GOAL ANAHEIM

FINAL SCORE: ANAHEIM 2 - VANCOUVER 1

DUCKS WIN THE SERIES 4 - 1.

End of the season for Vancouver.

A great season indeed for the Canucks. But a season ending loss is never easy to digest. Regardless, it's a sad day for Canucks fans.