Canucks put Stranglehold on First Round Opponents

Barring a major meltdown, it looks as though the Vancouver Canucks will be advancing past the first round and their opponents the St. Louis Blues. 

Last night the Canucks defeated the Blues 3-2 in St. Louis vaulting them into a 3-0 series lead.  The game was tied 2-2 after 2 periods of play, but Steve Bernier put the Canucks ahead to stay with an early third period power play marker.  Daniel Sedin and Mattias Ohlund also had tallies for the Canucks.  Andy Macdonald and David Backes replied for the Blues.

Roberto Luongo, while not tested as much as on other nights, was sharp as usual and outplayed his St. Louis counterpart on this night.  Mats Sundin was not in the lineup for the Vancouver Canucks with what is being described as a lower body injury. 

The young Blues clearly have a steep hill to climb now.  There have only been 2 teams in NHL series that have battled back from a 3-0 deficit.  The Toronto Maple Leafs did it back in 1942 and the New York Islanders completed the task in 1975.

The next game will be held in St. Louis on Tuesday night.  The Canucks will look to complete the sweep of the Blues.  It is probable that Blues winger, Paul Kariya will play on Tuesday after missing most of the regular season and all playoff games so far for the Blues.