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Canucks: 2-0 lead is nice, but the real work begins now

By Alex Hoegler

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 14: The Vancouver Canucks celebrate their overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 14, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Canucks defeated the Blues 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 14: The Vancouver Canucks celebrate their overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 14, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Canucks defeated the Blues 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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The Vancouver Canucks are two wins away from the second round, but things are only going to get tougher against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

From 2012 to 2019, the Vancouver Canucks won a total of three playoff games.

In the span of 48 hours, they won two games against the St. Louis Blues to take a 2-0 series lead in opening round play. Now, this team is a pair of victories away from winning its first playoff series in nine years.

There’s a special buzz around this young Vancouver team. Captain Bo Horvat has been virtually unstoppable with four goals through the first two games. Defenceman Chris Tanev is playing like somebody who’s determined to land a new deal that will keep him a Canuck for life. Jacob Markstrom is doing just enough to help his team squeak out the close victories.

Vancouver’s top players have all dominated in the early going. At the same time, it’s surprising to see the defending Stanley Cup champions struggle this much — especially 2019 playoff hero and goalie Jordan Binnington.

And it’s pivotal for the Canucks to not get too overconfident as they try to hold off a Blues’ rally and surge.

Don’t think for a second that the Blues are panicking and feeling like they’re out of it. This team stood as the NHL’s worst team in early Jan. 2019. Five months later, they won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Ryan O’Reilly, the reigning Selke and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, has been an absolute force in this series. It might only be a matter of time until he takes his game to a whole new level.

The Blues allowed the sixth fewest goals in the regular season. Binnington or Jake Allen (if head coach Craig Berube makes a change) could flip the switch completely and suddenly get hot. Last postseason, Binnington put up ridiculous numbers when coming off a loss.

On top of that, forward David Perron (three points) and superstar blueliner Alex Pietrangelo (three points) have given the Canucks a handful. If these two and O’Reilly continue their dominant performances, this series could turn around quickly.

Next. Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-3 overtime victory. dark

Vancouver has every reason to be thrilled about their 2-0 series lead, but the real challenge lies right ahead of them. The Blues won’t go away quietly, and the Canucks have to be ready for a more desperate and resilient push from the reigning champions.

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