ukcanuck wrote:[
On a positive note it really seemed that the Canucks tried to be proactive in this area last year by initiating the rough stuff as much as possible, they out hit everyone they faced but in the end as you say, injuries at critical points was their principal undoing.
The Canucks undoing against Boston was getting into the scrums in the first place. All year they stayed away from it to great success, and then in the finals they reverted back to their old ways. There were plenty of reasons why they did, some understandable but a lot of it out frustration.
As Vigneault says, be a strong, physical team whistle to whistle. The Canucks have no problem skating and hitting with any team in the league. We were weak in front of the net and in the corners due to Boston's advantage in that area as well key injuries. They were never going to win a physical war and scrum battles against Boston, but they got into it anyways and looked silly doing it.
It's not a matter of going toe-to-toe with the most physical teams in the league, it's about playing "Canucks hockey," finishing checks and being strong on your skates. As they're built, that's their game, not engaging in consistent physical battles with other teams.
They're not cut out to play that style of game on a consistent basis.