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Thursday, 28 April 2011 18:37

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

(1) Canucks vs. (5) Predators

Canucks Leading Postseason Scorer: Daniel Sedin, 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists).

Predators Leading Postseason Scorer: Mike Fisher 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists).

Canucks Postseason Statistics

Predators Posteason Statistics

Canucks with Stanley Cup bling: Mikael Samuelsson.

Predators with Stanley Cup bling: None.

Something worthwhile about the Predators: The Predators have the worst penalty killing percentage in the postseason at 63.6 percent.

Something useless about the Canucks that is vaguely connected to the Penguins: The only Ted Lindsay/Lester B. Pearson Award winning in Canucks history is former Penguins forward Markus Naslund. He won the award in 2002-03.

Something useless about the Predators that is vaguely connected to the Penguins: The first two captains in Predators history were former Penguins forward Greg Johnson and current Penguins executive Tom Fitzgerald.

Former Penguins on the Canucks: Mikael Samuelsson, RW.

Former Penguins on the Predators: None.

Who needs to be the difference for the Canucks: Ryan Kesler (above), Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, etc. The Predators win with defense but had some trouble with the Ducks in the first round when Anaheim was allowed to operate creatively. If the Canucks can create some things with their vaunted offense, they should be able to move on to the conference final.

Who needs to be the difference for the Predators: Shea Weber (above), Ryan Suter, etc. The Predators' penalty kill struggled against the offensively gifted Ducks. And it doesn't get any easier against the Canucks. Nashville needs to clean its end shorthanded and that begins with Weber and Suter, one of the best defensive tandems in hockey.

Best Canucks YouTube Video We Could Find: Alex Burrows' series-clinching overtime goal against the Blackhawks in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series:

Best Predators YouTube Video We Could Find: Jerred Smithson's overtime goal against the Ducks in Game 6 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series:

EN Prediction: The Canucks have some of the best depth in the NHL. They have numbers at every position. Just based on that, they should win this series. But as we saw in the first round, if they're outworked, they can beat. The Predators battle for every inch on the ice. Plus, Canucks goaltender Robert Luongo has been shaky. That said, we still expect the Canucks to take this. Canucks, 4-2.

(Photos: Sedin-Rich Lam/Getty Images: Weber-Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Comments (3)

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written by Bones, April 28, 2011 - 09:52 PM

Wow, only one player in this series has won a Cup. I think the 'Nucks will roll after exorcising their demons in beating the Hawks.

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written by cappsters, April 28, 2011 - 11:49 PM

Seth,

Thanks for another great year of Empty Netters. I check out your blog repeatedly. Your coverage of the Pens and the NHL is outstanding and comprehensive, and I love the tone and the way you convey your love for this great game.

I know EN takes an incredible amount of time and effort, and while I'm not one to post a lot of comments, I am a loyal follower and just want to let you know your work is greatly appreciated. Your work has made these last several years of following this special Pens team that much richer. This fellow Point Park alum says great job, thanks a lot, and keep up the great work until whatever your next gig is at the PG or elsewhere. (Selfishly, I wish you could make a long, lucrative career out of EN, but I know this is just an early step to bigger and better things!)

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written by s_rorabaugh, April 28, 2011 - 11:56 PM

cappsters, Much appreciated!

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