Not Ducked Quite Yet

Call me crazy (and I'm sure many of you will), but having watched the Canucks lose 5-1 in Anaheim, I actually think they have a better chance of winning this series than I did 24 hours ago. Before you ready the straightjacket, just hear me out.

The Canucks had plenty of chances. No, they didn't bury them, but the Ducks were ceratinly not suffocating defensively. Maybe 7 games with the Stars convinced me that Markus Naslund would need to trade his first-born for his club to get offensive opportunites, but it appears as though Anaheim will afford the Nucks more chances to score than Dallas did. Vancouver could easily have scored 4 goals in Game 1. Just ask Henrik Sedin.

Roberto Luongo can be better. I know he's the best goalie on the planet right now, so don't send hate mail. But despite a number of Luongo-like saves, I think most people who've followed this team all year would admit that he can raise his game another level from the opener. He has the ability to shut the door on any team, even one as talented as Anaheim that generates numerous chances each night. This guy is bulletproof when he's at his best.

Black-and-Blueline. Yes, injuries are part of the playoffs. But take Pronger and O'Donnell out of Anaheim's lineup and see how well they fare in their own end. I know. Neither Bieksa nor Salo is Chris Pronger, but the effect on the blueline is comparable. If numbers 3 and 6 can return in a hurry, the Ducks will have fewer quality chances to beat #1. And both d-men can provide offense that would help a powerplay that went 0-7 in game 1.

Now even if all of these things happen, the Canucks might be putting into a cup instead of raising one in the near future. All I'm saying is that they aren't as much an underdog as I originally anticipated. I still think Anaheim is the team to beat in the series, but having witnessed the opener, I'll be less surprised if Nucks pluck the Ducks.