game 2 recap: vancouver 3 - blues 0

Hey Backes!

Man, after countless years of patronage, it feels so great to cheer for a Canucks team that goes out there every night and kills themselves for the win. It's fun to finally have a hard-working squad to get behind. It looks like they want every puck.

The third line tonight was perfect. Bernier is playing like a man possessed. Case in point, when he chases down Polak in the late third and puts him into the bench. Where was that all year?Wellwood looks like the smartest player whenever he's on the ice. Unlike earlier this year, when he was trying to be a little cutsy with the puck all the time, he's now picking his spots to go to the net, or bide some time waiting for a teammate, and he rarely makes a bad decision. And Raymond is the perfect compliment. If Bernier isn't in the zone first banging and crashing, it's Raymond, who is starting to throw his weight around and make the Blues D a little leery with his speed.

Sedins again played keep away all night. They're so strong and just take pucks away. Kesler and Burrows were pests and buzzed around Mason all night. Might start calling Burrows 'Buzz Lightyear' because he falls with style. I don't want to say anything about Sundin, because he scored, but if he hadn't put one in, I don't know, man. He makes me angry.

And Luongo, once again, what can you say... Best goalie in the world right now.

Got a kick out of the little old school trip by Bieksa at the end. Total throwback play. 

And I loved watching the corpse of Andy Murray get all worked up at the end of the game. The guy always looks to me like he's just woken up and walked away from the cadaver table. He must have hit the defibrillators hard tonight.

One thing I want to say, the Vancouver fans in GM Place need to come up with some more creative -- or classy -- cheers. "Ref, you suck." "Mason sucks." "Blues suck." It's just, I don't know, dumb. That's what an expansion team's fans will yell. When I was in Anaheim for Game 5 of the 2007 playoffs, I was infuriated by the endless "Ref, you suck" chants by the Duck fans and thought they were some of the least classy I've heard.

Canucks fans, you're better than that.

Note:

Disclaimer: it's a Friday night and I'm on my computer, I know. But I'm in Hay River, not drinking for a month, my team's in the playoffs and I had a hellacious week at work.