Just two days after a thrilling Game 7 victory, the top- seeded Vancouver Canucks will host the Nashville Predators at Rogers Arena in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Canucks were pushed to the limit by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, as the series went seven games despite the fact that Vancouver had won the first three contests.
In the end the Blackhawks were not destined to become the fourth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing three-games-to-none. Roberto Luongo and Alexandre Burrows made sure of that in Tuesday's Game 7, as the former stopped 31 shots and Burrows tallied both of the Canucks' goals in the 2-1 overtime victory at Rogers Arena.
Burrows gloved a Chicago turnover and scored on a knuckling slap shot 5:22 into overtime to lift the Canucks to the next round.
"Obviously, we didn't script it this way," said Luongo. "But all year long, when our backs were against the wall, we responded. We played a massive game tonight and there was no better way to end it."
Tuesday's Game 7 must have been big for Luongo's confidence, as the Vezina Trophy finalist helped backstop his club to the win after being benched at the start of Game 6.
Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault was much-maligned for sitting Luongo in favor of Cory Schneider in Game 6, but Luongo's play in the series up to that point was not exactly sharp. Luongo was pulled early in blowout losses in Games 4 and 5, and after stopping 31-of-32 shots in Game 7, the veteran netminder finished the series with a 2.97 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.
Even with the redemption of his Game 7 victory, Luongo still has plenty to prove in the playoffs. The 32-year-old is 21-20 with a 2.53 GAA in his postseason career and has never made it past the second round.
The Canucks received goals from nine different players in the opening round, and leading the way was Daniel Sedin, who paced Vancouver in goals (5) and points (7) against Chicago. Of course, Sedin led the entire NHL in scoring during the regular season with 104 points (41 goals, 63 assists).
Sedin's twin brother, Henrik, also turned in a solid performance with five assists.
Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis will be facing the team he spent the first six years of his NHL career with in this series. Hamhuis was a first-round selection (12th overall) by Nashville in 2001 and played 483 games with the Predators before signing a six-year contract with the Canucks in the offseason.
While Hamhuis and the Canucks were battling to stay alive on Tuesday, Nashville has been off since Sunday, when it closed out its Western Conference quarterfinal series versus Anaheim with a 4-2 home victory in Game 6.
It marked the first time the Predators had won a playoff series in franchise history. Nashville had an 0-5 record in postseason series heading into this year's tournament.
The Predators played against type in the opening round, as the club that was ranked 21st in the league in offense during the regular season recorded 22 goals over six games against the Ducks. Nashville had 12 different players notch goals in the series and 18 skaters recorded at least one point.
Seven Predators also posted two goals or more in the set.
Mike Fisher was acquired in a trade with Ottawa in February to add some additional playoff experience to the Preds. The veteran did not disappoint in his first playoff series with Nashville, posting three goals and three assists to lead his club in points.
After Fisher, Nashville's most productive scorer in the opening round was defenseman Shea Weber, who notched three goals and two assists while also leading the club with a plus-four rating. Weber has a lethal slap shot from the point and is one of three finalists for this year's Norris Trophy.
Scoring should be harder to come by in this series, however, as the Canucks boast a much deeper defensive corps than Anaheim. That means Nashville will need a better effort from goaltender Pekka Rinne in this round if it wants to continue on to the conference finals.
Rinne, who, like Luongo, is a finalist for the Vezina, had a poor .876 save percentage against the Ducks and finished the series with a 3.29 GAA. It was the Finnish netminder's second career playoff series after his club was bounced out in the first round by Chicago last spring.
The Canucks are trying to earn a berth in the conference finals for the first time since 1994, when they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals before bowing out to the New York Rangers in seven games.
Nashville and Vancouver split four games in the regular season series and the clubs have never met before in the postseason.
The Canucks, who will also host Game 2 on Saturday, were 3-1 as the host in the opening round after going 24-9-8 at Rogers Arena during the regular season. Nashville had a 20-18-3 mark on the road this year and was 2-1 in Anaheim in Round 1.
Canucks defenseman Sami Salo is questionable for Game 1 of this series with an undisclosed injury. Nashville forward Martin Erat is questionable with an upper body issue.
