Canucks put series in headlock

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It was one of those stats that caught your attention. The Vancouver Canucks had played eight Game 5s in their history in which they were tied with their opponents two games each. They had lost seven of the eight game fives and each time they lost they also went on to lose the series.

They weren't going to add to that number last night in their pivotal Game 5 playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Kings. Not a chance.

In their most dominating performance of the playoffs, the Canucks easily breezed to a 7-2 victory over the Kings to, if not take a stranglehold on the series, put it in a pretty nice headlock.

And they did it riding the hot hand of forward Mikael Samuelsson who scored twice and looks more and more comfortable on the top line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who also scored. Together, the recently assembled marquee unit combined for seven points and appeared to be more than the Kings' defence could handle every time it was on the ice.

And to think there were so many questions for the Canucks heading into this game.

The state of the Canucks defence was one. That the injuries had left the blueline corps fragile and somewhat depleted was no secret. It was so bad that when journeyman Nolan Baumgartner, called up from the minors to play in only his third NHL playoff game in Game 4, got injured it caused panic in Canucks Nation.

It meant that Andrew Alberts, whose propensity to take penalties in the first two games of these playoffs had earned him the moniker A Minor, was going to draw back into the lineup for Game 5. The Canucks penalty kill units were having enough problems - they didn't need someone on the ice who might help drive up their horrible numbers.

Heading into the game, the Canucks had given the Kings 16 odd-man advantages - and they took advantage of nine of them. Nine. And in their first real power play opportunity last night they scored again.

But the other story was Luongo. Yes, he had made some key saves at points of this series. But beyond those he had looked mediocre and he had the numbers to reflect it. His save percentage was a very un-Luongo like .871 and his goals-against average was just as ugly - 3.70.

Was this the game when he would magically transform into the goalie who once regularly won games for the Canucks on his own? He looked better than he had all series.

The Canucks also wanted to avoid the slow starts that had put them behind early in games and forced them into a style of play early on that wasn't making their coach, Alain Vigneault, happy. Well, last night they got the first period for which they had been searching.

Vancouver had dominated the series five-on-five and continued to last night. Steve Bernier, who is starting to make a name for himself in this series, scored his second goal in these playoffs midway through the opening period. That was nullified when the Kings went on the power play minutes later and Michael Handzus, who has been a monster for L.A., fired a puck in off a Vancouver defenceman which ricocheted between Luongo's legs. But Canucks defenceman Alex Edler would restore the lead near the end of the first with a shot that got passed a screened Jonathan Quick.

But the Canucks took over the game in the second - with Samuelsson's sixth goal of the playoffs sending Quick to the bench. He would return later believe it or not, which tells you how bad L.A.'s goaltending was.

In the third, Samuelsson would add another, so would Pavol Demitra and Bernier would get his third of the playoffs. The route was on.

L.A. just didn't look like the team it had in the first four games. Ironically, on the same day he was announced as a Norris trophy finalist, Drew Doughty, had what was easily his worst game of these playoffs. Meantime, Jonathan Quick looks to be losing the magic he had early on. In fact, the L.A. goaltending looks extremely suspect at the moment.

For their part, the Canucks looked like a whole new team. One that looked in complete control of this series.