Will Manny Malhotra's return to the lineup throw off the Vancouver Canucks strong chemistry?
Examining five 'Burning Questions' the Canucks face ahead of meeting the Bruins in the Cup final.
After being tested by the Blackhawks, Predators and Sharks the Vancouver Canucks have made it to the Stanley Cup final. They will now do battle with the Boston Bruins for the right to hoist the Cup. To set up the matchup, sportsnet.ca's mark Spector looks at five 'Burning Questions' before putting it on the line with his prediction.
Q: Will a return to the Canucks lineup by Manny Malhotra help the team, or will good chemistry be altered?
A - OK, it's two questions actually. But with Malhotra possibly returning to play in the final, Alain Vigneault must be asking himself both of those questions.
Malhotra was this team's third-line centre all season, until suffering that eye injury late in the year. To date, Maxim Lapierre has done a fine job of centering the third line between Raffi Torres and Jannik Hansen, killing penalties and doing pretty well (50.4 per cent) in the faceoff circle.
That third line has given Vigneault an excellent playoff, chipping in with big goals along the way and not giving much up. But can the line maintain its level while Malhotra -- who hasn't played an NHL game since being injured on March 16 -- gets up to speed during a Stanley Cup final?
More likely, Malhotra would work in as the fourth-line centre, get time on the penalty kill, and only take ice time away from Lapierre if his play warrants it. Vigneault trusts Malhotra more than Cody Hodgson, the No. 4 centre who will come out of the lineup if and when the veteran Malhotra comes in.
Q: Will the bad goal ever really cost Roberto Luongo?
A - Luongo has let in his share of stinkers in these playoffs to be sure, but very rarely has that goal turned out to be a crusher from which his team could not recover.
As bad as Luongo has been with shots from the corner and behind the net, he's been just that steady with the traditional variety. His .922 save percentage is testimony to that, and you could say Luongo stole either or both of Games 4 and 5 against San Jose, where his team was outshot 91-47 yet Luongo only allowed four goals.
There should be less wiggle room in Round 4, however. At some point, the shaky goal comes at a point where your team can't recover.
Q: Is Ryan Kesler hiding an injury?
A - The only reason we ask is that it seemed Vigneault was very open about the coming and goings surrounding Kesler's apparent injury in Game 5 against San Jose. And we all know is that Vigneault doesn't speak to injuries and lineup issues - unless he's trying to plant something out there that he wants people to believe.
Obviously, Kesler got better as that game went on, making it hard to believe he had a serious groin or leg injury. But the Bruins will want to find out for sure, and they'll be pounding Kesler at every turn.
As with any team that gets this far, the contributions from Vancouver's second line - Kesler won Round 2 against Nashville almost single-handed - has been a key. With Zdeno Chara, one of the best in the business, likely to make the Sedins' life tough over the next two weeks, scoring from the second line - and Kesler in particular - might be the difference in finding the requisite offence to win this series for the Canucks.
Q: Which Sedins will Canucks fans see?
A - Against San Jose, the twins were dominant. Henrik had 1-11-12 in the five-game series, and together the Sedins had 18 points and were plus-8.
But they were just that ineffective in Round 2 against Nashville. In Round 1 against Chicago, the Sedins were real good for the first half of the series, and not so good for the last half.
When that line controls the puck down low, besides the obvious offence that results, they severely tire out the opponent. After 45 seconds of chasing the puck the Kesler line can slip out against tired opponents, and simply pick up where Hank and Daniel left off.
There are few examples of one-line teams winning at this time of year, but plenty who win when the goals start coming from lines one through three (or perhaps even four). This is the Sedins' team, and this is their biggest stage.
Zdeno Chara or no, it's hard to believe they'll be shut down by Boston.
Q: The powerplay advantage: Can Vancouver maintain it?
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Who will win the Stanley Cup?
A - Here, folks, is the big disparity in this matchup. During these playoffs, the Canuck powerplay has chugged along at 28.3 per cent, while the Bruins' is a stagnant 8.2 per cent.
If, when this series is over, Vancouver's special teams have maintained that advantage, we think we know which team will be drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup all summer long.
Remember, Vancouver had the best PP (24.3 per cent) and No. 2 PK (85.6 per cent) in the league this season. The powerplay has been even better in the post-season, and with Malhotra returning, you've got to believe that the PK will be even better in the final than the 80.6 per cent it has posted through the first three rounds.
Boston must make a dent in both those units, or they won't beat Vancouver. It is as simple as that.
Vancouver's been the best team in the league all year. Won't stop now.
Canucks in 6.
