Naive Blackhawks blogger for the New York Times weighs in with an amusing perspective, and Fox Sports suggests a Canucks – Red Wings Western Final:

Partisan Preview: Vancouver vs. Chicago New York Times

Canucks discover they were a little too Eager for suspension Chicago Sun-Times

Canucks seeking to extend home-ice magic in Game 2 against 'Hawks Vancouver Sun

Red Wings, Canucks on a collision course Fox Sports

Canucks stories and predictions from Canada and the U.S. prior to Game 1 tonight:

Trash talk starts early for Canucks and Blackhawks Canada.com - Don Mills,Ontario,Canada By Jim Jamieson, Canwest News ServiceApril 30, 2009 As the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks prepared for the opening game of their second-round ...

Predictions for the Stanley Cup playoffs' second round Bluefield Daily Telegraph - Bluefield,WV,USA The Canucks came into the playoffs as the hottest team in the league and were paired against the third-hottest team in the league. ...

Canucks' Luongo vs. Hawks' Khabibulin promises to be compelling show Chicago Sun-Times - United States It will be the Vancouver Canucks' Roberto Luongo against the Blackhawks' Nikolai Khabibulin when their teams open a best-of-seven Western Conference ...

Tallon TALES: Chicago GM reminisces about his Canucks stint Vancouver Sun - British Columbia, Canada Thirty-nine years after he was the very first player ever drafted by the Canucks — No. 2 overall, famously, because the Buffalo Sabres won the spin of a ...

No love lost after hair-pulling line brawl USA Today - USA VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks' last game against the Vancouver Canucks featured a third-period line brawl that had everything ...

Who has the edge? Blackhawks vs. Canucks Chicago Tribune - United States By Chris Kuc | Tribune reporter Vancouver's top line of Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows scored six of the Canucks' 11 goals in their four-game ...

(NHL.com - USA) For Mitchell and the Canucks, it was his and his teammates' attention to detail that shut down St. Louis' top line and the Blues' eighth-ranked power play...

Mitchell gives Canucks an offensive boost

Burrows, Luongo lead Canucks' sweep of Blues (The Associated Press)

Officer injured in post-Canucks fracas (Surrey Leader)

Canucks celebration turns ugly at Surrey-Delta border (News1130)

Police ready in case Canuck fans turn frantic

Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2 (OT) USA Today

Canucks defeat Blues in OT, advance to second round CBC.ca

ST. LOUIS -- Alex Burrows scored his second goal of the game with 18.9 seconds to go in overtime and Roberto Luongo made 47 saves to help the Vancouver Canucks complete a four-game, first-round sweep of St. Louis with a 3-2 victory over the Blues Tuesday night.

Kyle Wellwood also scored for the Canucks, who won a series before the seventh game for the first time in 12 tries since 1994.

Brad Boyes and David Perron scored for the Blues, who rallied from a two-goal, second-period deficit thanks to increased traffic around Luongo. But more power play woes doomed St. Louis, which was 0-for-7 with the man advantage and 1-for-23 in the series including a four-minute double-minor midway through overtime.

See http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=290421019

- Prediction: Burrows nets the winner
- Mason Raymond looks great... could score the winner (maybe Kesler) or Backes or Tkachuk for Blues
- Canucks still dominating the face-off circle vs the #Blues - 33 to 22
- Mason keeping Blues in the game
- Canucks regain momentum
- Blues steal momentum with first goal
- Very suspect referee calls (many missed head shots & stick works)
- Canucks dominating Blues
- Edler struggling
- Spectacular effort by Wellwood

Follow the latest on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BlogCanucks

Ah ha! Game 5 versus the Ducks might have been very different had Luongo been at 100%. The very strange "equipment problem" that prevented Luongo from starting in net in overtime was in fact not an equipment problem at all (as Kelly Hrudey insisted was the case)...

VANCOUVER (CP) - Goaltender Roberto Luongo still won't say why he was late returning for the first overtime period of Vancouver's loss to the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night that eliminated the Canucks from the NHL playoffs.

''It was not an equipment problem,'' Luongo said Sunday as the Canucks cleaned out their lockers. ''Let's leave it like that.''

''It was an illness and nothing serious.''

Luongo didn't answer when a reporter asked if the delay was caused because he was forced to use the bathroom (see Luongo won't say why he was late in OT (TSN)).

Many have postulated that whatever the "illness" Luongo had to go on intervenus support between the periods. And there was a real possibility that Sabourin would have had to finish the game.

Ah ha! Game 5 versus the Ducks might have been very different had Luongo been at 100%. The very strange "equipment problem" that prevented Luongo from starting in net in overtime was in fact not an equipment problem at all (as Kelly Hrudey insisted was the case)...

VANCOUVER (CP) - Goaltender Roberto Luongo still won't say why he was late returning for the first overtime period of Vancouver's loss to the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night that eliminated the Canucks from the NHL playoffs.

''It was not an equipment problem,'' Luongo said Sunday as the Canucks cleaned out their lockers. ''Let's leave it like that.''

''It was an illness and nothing serious.''

Luongo didn't answer when a reporter asked if the delay was caused because he was forced to use the bathroom (see Luongo won't say why he was late in OT (TSN)).

Many have postulated that whatever the "illness" Luongo had to go on intervenus support between the periods. And there was a real possibility that Sabourin would have had to finish the game.