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NHL Playoffs: Blues vs. Canucks Game 1 preview, stream, start time, TV channel and more

By Mike Zawisza

VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 9: Christopher Tanev #8 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammates Brock Boeser #6, Quinn Hughes #43, and Tim Schaller #59 after scoring during their NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena October 9, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 8-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 9: Christopher Tanev #8 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammates Brock Boeser #6, Quinn Hughes #43, and Tim Schaller #59 after scoring during their NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena October 9, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 8-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The upstart Vancouver Canucks kept the St. Louis Blues on their toes in game one and skated away with a convincing 5-2 victory. It’s been a rocky start to the playoffs for the defending champs, who are looking to bounce back in Game 2.

It has been a rough go of it for the St. Louis Blues since the NHL’s return to play started. The defending Stanley Cup Champions are without a win in through the first four games of the playoffs. What’s worse, they haven’t really even played a good game of hockey yet.

This spells trouble going up against a young Canucks team that plays a high-tempo style of hockey and is lethal at special teams.

How we got here

Through two periods of hockey in game one, the Blues looked like they had finally righted the ship. Tied 2-2 and controlling play (for the most part), all they needed was to have one good period and they could skate away with their first victory of the playoffs.

Instead, the Canucks erupted for three goals on just five shots in the final frame. Not exactly how either team drew it up, I’m sure.

However, that denotes the danger of this Canucks team. They didn’t need as many chances as the Blues — they were outshot 31-22 in this game — but they made their best opportunities count.

What to watch for in Game 2

The Canucks power play continues to be their biggest weapon as a team. The unit went three-for-six in game one and proved to be the difference-maker. The Blues outshot the Canucks by a fairly significant margin, but that doesn’t mean anything if they give out six power plays to a team that isn’t all that great at even strength. Not many teams can surrender three special teams goals and expect to walk away with the win.

That being said, the Blues also need more from goalie Jordan Binnington. The young goalie made a name for himself last year during the Blues incredible run to the Cup. However, this postseason he’s looked like a shell of what we saw in the regular season and during the 2018-19 campaign.

His team left him hanging a bit, but the third and fourth goals were extremely stoppable, and when it comes down to it, 17 saves on 22 shots just isn’t good enough.

It wasn’t all bad for the Blues. They pretty much dominated the territorial battle at even-strength. They held the Canucks to just 15 shots at evens and kept them at just two high-danger chances in the second and third periods combined.

If you’re the Blues, the answer is to keep the Canucks off the power play and expect that Jordan Binnington will rebound — after all, he didn’t lose consecutive games in the 2019 Cup run.

For the Canucks, game one was a microcosm of their season. Outplayed everywhere except on special teams and in net. They’re not going to suddenly become one of the league’s best Corsi teams. They just have to keep doing what they’ve done all year and stick to what works for them.

When: Friday, 8 p.m. ET

Where: NBC Sports Network, Fox Sports Midwest, CBC (Canada), Sportsnet (Canada)

Live Stream: NBC Sports App, Fubo TV (subscription required, but includes seven-day free trial)

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