Three 5-on-3 goals is a big feat to top, and has the Canucks one win away from The Big Dance.
SAN JOSE — In a playoff game chalk full of things we’ve never seen before, Alex Burrows still has not laid his eyes on the pass he received from Henrik Sedin, the Vancouver captain who grabbed this series — and a few of Ryan Kesler’s Conn Smythe votes — in record-setting fashion Sunday afternoon.
Observed brother Daniel, on a four-assist day for Henrik: "He’s been criticized for not shooting. Tonight I think he showed why he shouldn’t shoot. He should pass instead."
After laying two of the softest passes this side of Gretzky-to-Kurri on to defenceman Sami Salo’s tape for a pair of second-period goals, Henrik did something we can’t recall ever seeing before: intentionally passing a puck through goalie Antti Niemi’s legs for an inside-the-leather Alex Burrows tap-in.
Ever seen a pass like that before, Alex?
"I didn’t even see THAT one and it went in, so that tells you how good of a pass it was," he said, breaking into a wide grin. "I lost sight of it. Good thing my stick was on the ice."
No team has ever scored three 5-on-3 goals in a Stanley Cup playoff game. So, obviously scoring them 1:55 apart is a record too, and one that could stand for a mighty long time, when you think about it.
Honestly, a mailbox could score 30 next to Henrik when he’s dishing passes the way he was in Game 4. He set up every goal in a 4-2 win, Daniel had three helpers, and all those stories about "Whither the Sedin Twins" that opened this series are headed for bottom of the bird cage this morning.
"I think we're both believers in, if you work hard, you do the right thing, it's going to turn around," Henrik said, freshly installed atop the NHL playoffs scoring lead (2-17-19). "Playoffs is tough in a way that, if things aren't going well, … it might be summertime."
Which brings us to the Sharks, a team chalk full of guys who might be putting the ol’ pier in by next weekend. Especially if Joe Thornton’s shoulder is punched, after Raffi Torres drilled him with a clean check from which Thornton never returned in the third.
Thornton did not speak to the media post-game, a rarity for Jumbo Joe.
"You know, at this time of year," teammate Ryane Clowe said, "you hear people talking about how this player is banged up, or that guy is sore. But you know what? Right here (pointing to his head) is where teams win or lose this time of year. For some reason we kick ourselves in the rear end all the time lately."
"When we played them straight up, I think we outplayed them. But the 5-on-3’s were a killer."
Have you ever heard of a team giving up five first-period powerplays, getting outshot 35-13, and winning a playoff game on the road? The three, lengthy 5-on-3’s in the second period begged the question of Daniel Sedin, "Which specialty teams unit was more important, the PK or the PP?"
"The penalty kill, it was huge," he said, without hesitation. "When you take that amount of penalties in the early going, you’ve got to kill them off. We got some momentum from that, and we killed their momentum."
As the Sharks powerplays mounted in the first period, the Canucks kept their composure and methodically killed them off, one by one. Roberto Luongo was steady, but really, was not required to be great, due in part to the Canucks PK being so solid.
"I think we stayed off the refs better, too, today," said Alex Burrows, with some words to the wise for Canucks Nation. "We let them ref their game and we didn't get after them at all."
They are now just one win from a spot in the Stanley Cup final, and unless something changes markedly over the next few days, it will be by the far the better team that moves on.
San Jose’s best players are not having impactful series, particularly Dany Heatley, Clowe, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski. Meanwhile, Vancouver leaders are in full lead, beating San Jose in every facet of the game, from lines one through four.
"Great goal by Kes to get us on the board, and Sami’s shot is going to get through eventually," observed Kevin Bieksa. "I think they blocked a bunch of them last game on the 5-on-3, but guys didn’t look as brave this time when they were going down for it."
It’s called wearing them down, and right now, these Sharks look mighty worn.
Now it’s home for Game 5, one win away from The Big Dance.
"It’s a big game. We’ve been in this position before…" said Daniel, who was quickly reminded that, no, you haven’t been in THIS position before.
"No, but…" he said, smiling. "We’ve got to kill this series."
