Luongo, Canucks Respond to Adversity

Most teams suffer their first loss of the NHL Playoffs before they've won a series. In the case of the Vancouver Canucks, they won five straight before Chicago took them down 6-3 on Saturday.

Game 3 of this physical series was played Tuesday night in Chicago. Not only was Vancouver coming off a loss, but they were dealing with injuries to a stalwart defenseman and one of their top six forwards. With this as a backdrop, the Canucks responded with a 3-1 win at United Center.

Canucks 3, Blackhawks 1: Recap | Box Score | Tuesday's Scores

Vancouver played what a hockey coach would call a perfect road game. They stifled a raucous Chicago crowd with a nearly perfect first period. Young speedster Mason Raymond, playing up on a line with Ryan Kesler and Mats Sundin thanks to an injury that kept Pavol Demitra from playing, took advantage of his opportunity. He got the first goal of the game, giving Vancouver the first-period lead for a third straight game.

They made no mistake this time. Instead of tightening up too much, they relied on their big defense's ability to block shots, Roberto Luongo's ability to block the ones that reached him, and they didn't go into a shell too early in the game.

Steve Bernier and Henrik Sedin scored to swell the Canucks' lead to 3-0, and they survived some sustained pressure from the Blackhawks by blocking shots and keeping the offensive play on the perimeter.

Officially, Vancouver was credited with 13 blocked shots, but the number has to have been higher than that. The third period was a perfect illustration of how a team needs to play to be successful on the road in the playoffs. The Canucks did the little things right, were never seriously threatened despite Chicago getting a couple power-play chances in the third period.

With the win, the Canucks take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Thursday night in Chicago. It's a virtual must-win for the Blackhawks, who can ill afford to go down 3-1 in a best-of-seven against a team led by one of the best goaltenders around.