Throughout the entire series between the Canucks and Kings, Vancouver displayed an incredible ability to ratchet up their game play that extra notch in the 3rd period. That held true in Game 6, as the Canucks scored 3 goals in the final period to clinch a 4-2 series victory over Los Angeles. Roberto Luongo was outstanding in net for the Canucks, stopping 30 LA shots, and making perhaps the best save of the playoffs so far midway through the 2nd.
Alexander Frolov scored the first goal of the game just after the 10 minute mark in the first, muscling through Daniel Sedin down low and nudging Luongo’s stick as he came around the front of the net before slipping the puck in along the ice. The powerplays were clicking for both teams in the 2nd, as Steve Bernier got Vancouver on the board before Drew Doughty scored his 3rd goal of the playoffs. As the final seconds of Danny Sedin’s penalty ticked off, Anze Kopitar froze two of the Canucks’ penalty killers with a beautiful fake slap shot before sliding a perfect pass over to Doughty, who one timed it over Luongo to give the Kings a 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd.
The Canucks scored 7 goals in the 3rd periods of the last three games, including the 3 they netted on Sunday. Kevin Bieksa got the first goal of the period with his first career playoff goal, slapping a quick shot through Jonathan Quick’s five hole that the young netminder probably wishes he could get back. With just over two minutes left in the game, Danny Sedin caught a lucky break when Mikael Samuelsson’s stick broke and the puck squirted right to him. With Quick and the Los Angeles defenders all set to protect against Samuelsson’s shot, Sedin was all alone and knifed a perfect shot in off the post to put the Canucks ahead for the first time in the game. Alex Burrows finally got his first goal of the postseason with an empty netter in the final minutes to ice the game, and with it, the great season that the young Kings had strung together this year.
Vancouver will have to wait to see the outcomes of the Chicago-Nashville and Detroit-Phoenix series to find out who they’ll be playing in the next round, but with their offense firing on all cylinders and Roberto Luongo making the ridiculous saves he made throughout this series, the Canucks will be more than a test for whatever team they end up drawing in the Conference semifinals.