It’s not a first-round playoffs series for the Vancouver Canucks until they’re facing elimination prematurely and making a controversial goaltending decision.
Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller isn’t 100 percent healthy by his own admission, but he’ll start Game 5 against the Calgary Flames, with the club facing elimination at home.
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Is Canucks coach Willie Desjardins making the right decision?
Mark Spector: Yes!
The Miller decision is an easy one. Eddie Lack made it that way, with his performance over the first four games of this playoff series.
Goaltending is the one position in hockey that works in reflection of the opponent’s opposite number. Translation: It doesn’t matter how well you think Lack has played thus far. Jonas Hiller has been better in the Flames nets.
Now the Canucks are one loss away from relegation, and Miller showed through 40 minutes of Game 4 that he’s healthy enough to play. We all like Lack as a goalie and as a person. But say this slowly: “Ryan Miller is a better goalie.”
You don’t play in Olympic gold medal games because someone likes your wife’s sitcom. Nor does an organization sign a goalie to a three-year, $18 million contract without believing he is their best option in goal.
Lack hasn’t been bad. In fact, he’s been pretty good. The problem is, the Canucks need great. They need a game-stealer.
Miller’s performance on Tuesday showed him to be healthy — regardless of what he’s saying in the media — and that makes it an easy call. Miller starts Game 5.
Thomas Drance: No!
Miller isn’t healthy, and he’s not obfuscating when he says it.
“I’m not going to be 100 percent physically,” Miller admitted again on Wednesday, “but I know I can bring a lot (with) my approach.”
Miller isn’t up to speed. He played two periods with the result decided in Game 4, and faced 15 total shots. It was only his third appearance in 10 weeks.
And even if Miller were healthy and battle tested that wouldn’t alter the fact that Lack outperformed him all year. A couple of rough games in Calgary doesn’t change that.
Lack has fought the puck a bit in this series, there’s no doubt about it, and it’s fair to say that the Saddledome became something of a house of horrors for him in Games 3 and 4.
Still, “better” and “healthier” are pretty compelling data points, particularly when there’s no margin for error.
“The Playoffs always comes down to goaltending,” Desjardins said on Thursday. “If you get great goaltending you always have a chance.”
The simple fact of the matter is that Lack gives the Canucks their best chance of getting great goaltending and winning Game 5. He should be the guy in net.
Flames’ special teams
The Calgary Flames have owned the special teams battle in this series, particularly with their power play. Calgary has converted on seven of 11 opportunities with the man-advantage, which is surprising, when you consider that Vancouver’s penalty kill was among the league’s best this season.
“Sometimes it’s just waves,” explained Flames head coach Bob Hartley. “When the PP or the PK was struggling ealier in the year, I was telling you, it’s just waves. I can’t sit here today and say something else, I have to be consistent.
“Sometimes there’s a combination of puck luck and execution also,” he added a bit later in his availability on Thursday.
Hartley wasn’t the only wise hockey man citing variance in explaining Calgary’s power-play success in this series at Rogers Arena on Thursday. Vancouver’s penalty-killing ace Brad Richardson echoed Hartley’s thoughts in explaining why his club’s 4-on-5 play has come undone in this series.
“You go through the season I think there’s ebbs and flows with the way the PK go,” Richardson said. “I don’t think it’s really struggling; it’s just that sometimes the pucks are going to go in and that’s just the way it is.”
No beard to fear
In a room overflowing with youthful inexperience, Flames winger Brandon Bollig is one of the few veteran players who has been here before. This won’t be his first elimination game rodeo.
“My message would be have a short memory, approach it like it’s Game 1,” Bollig said. “Mistakes do happen, but minimize them, if they score a goal have a short memory, forget about it, go back out and get it back.
“We know they’re going to be desperate but we can’t change our game because of that.”
At some point following Calgary’s Game 4 victory, Bollig shaved his customary beard. Obviously he isn’t particularly superstitious. In fact he’s hoping it’ll grow back and before the end of the season.
“The beard won’t affect it, I hope,” Bollig said Thursday. “Couple more rounds and it’ll be back in no time.”
Burrows update
Alex Burrows is still in Calgary.
When asked to update the health status of the Canucks’ winger, Desjardins wouldn’t tell the media whether or not Burrows– who was hit by a puck and broke some ribs during the game-day skate before Game 4 – was still in hospital.
“He’s staying there until we’re ready to bring him back,” Desjardins said of Burrows’ health.
Richardson was more forthcoming.
“We’ve talked to him,” Richardson said. “We’ve kind of been getting a few little updates on him. He’s fine, he’s just a little uncomfortable.”
Svengeance
Sven Baertschi will make his NHL playoff debut, and he’ll be facing the team that drafted and developed and ultimately gave up on and traded him.
“There’s no lack of motivation,” Baertschi admitted on Thursday.
“It’s unbelievable just being here, experiencing the last game and being able to play now tonight, it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
In limited duty this season, Baertschi has generated 5-on-5 offense at an excellent rate something the Canucks are desperate for in this series.
As for the advice Baertschi is getting from the veterans in the Vancouver locker room?
“There’s no pressure, go in and play your game and enjoy this,” said Daniel Sedin.
