Pucks On The 'Net: Joel Ward Edition

Another failed attempt by the Canucks to close out a series. Did you know their record in the last 14 games where they could eliminate their opponent is just 4 wins and 10 losses. They are now 1 and 4 this post-season. No wonder why the faith of Canucks fans is always wavering.

Here's some more thoughts on the game:

• About an hour before puck drop I discovered my power adapter for my laptop had called it quits. I tried using one of the kid's netbooks. They seem happy with those tiny little things, but for big-fingered old fogies like me, I could barely type! Hence my quiet night on Twitter.
• Boy has Joel Ward (and Tampa's Sean Bergenheim, too, for that matter) ever picked a great time to break out. He's now tied for the league post-season lead in goals and second for points. He's an unrestricted free agent and should find some long term security this summer. He's currently making $1.5M.
• Joel Ward's story is a remarkable one. Read here for more, or watch Scott Oake's Inside Hockey presentation from Hockey Night In Canada.
• They say hockey is a man's game. Right now that makes Ryan Kesler the man. He was quieter for stretches of game 5, but was strong when needed. That was a scary moment when he took that puck to the face, though.
• The Sedins looked good for stretches, but failed to score. More alarming - Daniel was -4 and Henrik -3 for the night. I do not put a lot of stock into the +/- stat as I find it misleading, but this is not the first time this series that the Sedins have had bad defensive nights. Mind you, do they really deserve a negative mark for that fluky goal off Alex Edler, or when the Canucks D coughed up the puck brutally on the 1st and 3rd goals?
• For more on the weaknesses of the +/- stat and the secret stat that NHL teams use to better evaluate players, be sure to read David Staples article on Secret Stats.
• David Legwand's second goal sure was a fluke. Or was it? When I was younger I scored the same way playing street hockey. Twice.
• Will they ever learn? Having blown it against Chicago, the Canucks could really use some rest if they hope to go deeper into these 2011 playoffs. The Sedins, especially Henrik are laboring, possibly with injury issues. Mikael Samuelsson left the last game in obvious pain. Alex Edler, who missed much of the second half of the season recovering from back surgery, could really use a day or two off to regroup. He's probably the Canucks top defenseman, but he's looked downright brutal at points in this series.
• Just a quick note about the Bruins - if Patrice Bergeron is gone for any length of time, he will be missed dearly. He is a very good all around player and an excellent face off man. The Bruins are already without top offensive center Marc Savard. Losing depth at center ice has killed many team's chances of winning the Stanley Cup over the years.
• Lastly, it is being reported that Paul Coffey will become a "power play consultant" for the Pittsburgh Penguins next season. Currently he owns two Toyota dealerships in Toronto. That's fitting. Coffey skated as though his accelerator was stuck to the floor.

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