Run Through the Jungle

When coming off a loss, even a one-day break can seem like an eternity. If that's how it feels for Canuck fans, one can only imagine how the Canucks themselves are feeling after the Wednesday's 4-2 loss. They get a shot at redemption in Game 2 tonight against the Los Angeles Kings, and there will be a few wrinkles in the lineup to help shake up the status quo.

First and foremost, hulking forward Byron Bitz has been suspended by the NHL for his elbow to the head of Kings' forward Kyle Clifford (who will also miss tonight's game). Bitz was suspended for 2 games, meaning he will not be eligible to return until Game 4 of the series. Taking his place is pint-sized Andrew Ebbett of Vernon, B.C. What Ebbett lacks in physicality and brutality, he makes up in effort and offensive creativity. The chances are he will see some time on the second power play unit tonight if the Canucks get the chance to try and right the ship on their listless man advantage.

Also making a return to the lineup is defensemen Keith Ballard, who will take Aaron Rome's place on the back end. Ballard is a mobile, puck rushing defenseman with a love for dishing out devestating bodychecks. (Jamie McGinn only just recently touched down after being sent flying through the air by Ballard during last year's Western Conference Final).

The most noteable non-change, however, is the fact that star winger Daniel Sedin remains on the shelf with a concussion. All of this should be put aside, however, as Ballard and Ebbett (and Sedin's continued absence) are not what is going to win or lose this game for Vancouver. For the Canucks to even the series tonight, there are three critical areas they need to improve upon from Game 1. The first and foremost is discipline. We saw Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Maxim Lapierre all revert to the players they had been in previous years in the first game of the series--diving, yapping, and focussing more on that part of the game than actually playing it. They need to focus on putting pucks in the net, not trying to distract their opponents with various acts of tomfoolery.

The second is to make smart decisions with the puck. Two pucks over the glass in a five minute span on Wednesday night did nothing to help the Canucks' chances, other than to give their penalty kill some extra work to do. The Canucks need to take that extra second and execute their plays with calmness and precision, something that is critical to their game when they are doing well.

And finally, they need to bring their hard hats and their lunch buckets to beat the Kings. The Canucks were outshot, outhit and outworked in their own barn in Game 1, and they need to - at least - match that compete level to stand a chance. It bears repeating that were it not for Roberto Luongo in Game 1, the score would have been far less flattering to the home side.

The Canucks need to do all of these things right from the first drop of the puck until the final horn sounds in order to avoid going to Los Angeles in a 2-0 hole.

Let's hope they're up to the task.