Canucks taking on the Sharks in Western Conference Final

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Canucks taking on the Sharks in Western Conference Final
Rival goalie Antti Niemi in net for San Jose
News1130 Staff May 13, 2011 06:53:38 AM
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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - It'll be Sharks vs Orcas. The Canucks will face San Jose in Round Three after the Sharks pulled off a Game Seven win against Detroit last night.

We can expect huge bodies and a real physical presence in the upcoming series, says News1130 Sports Director Ann Schmaltz. "This is going to be a crash and bang test for Vancouver; the Sharks are solid at using their size and strength."

"They have a big guy, Ryan Clowe, who scored three goals in three games against the Canucks in the regular season," she explains. "Their captain, Joe Thornton is one of the best big-man passers in the league."

"Then there's Antti Niemi in goal," says Schmaltz. "He has never lost a playoff series, won the Cup with the 'Hawks last year, and has stoned Vancouver in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if he already was in the Canucks' heads."

The good news for the Canucks is the fact the Sharks are coming off a gruelling seven-game series, while they have been resting. But are the Canucks 100 per cent healthy?

"No, not at all!" says Schmaltz. "But you can say that about both teams. It's now the third round of the playoffs and most guys are banged up. In fact, Vancouver's Associate Coach Rick Bowness said earlier this week if the players are not tired, battered, and bruised, they're not playing hard enough."

"This is by far the hardest trophy to win in professional sport," she adds. "It takes four rounds over two months of intense battles. The injuries pile up, but the players keep playing through."

Ann will be at every game in this series, whether it's at Rogers Arena or the Shark Tank in San Jose. The puck drops in Game One on Sunday at 5 p.m.

News1130 will have updates throughout the games every 10 minutes on the fives and will break in whenever there's a goal.

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Thoughts from fans

A lot of folks we're speaking with think it will be a tough series.

"If the Canucks play their game, their style of play, I think they'll do well," says one fan. "But they have to stick to their game plan. They have to; the city's counting on them!"

"I'm a Detroit fan myself," another man tells us. "I'm sad to see them go. But it would be really nice to see the Canucks win it for the city and for the true fans. They're going to have a tough customer with the Sharks!"

He and others believe netminder Niemi will be one of the toughest to face, given the Canucks record against him in the playoffs before when he was with Chicago.

Canucks loyalty may be costing you in gas

If you have four team flags flapping on your car, it might be costing you more in gasoline. A study in England found the flags put more drag on your vehicle, creating millions of extra kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.

Researchers discovered an average car driving kilometres per hour with two small flags clamped on the vehicle burns an extra litre of fuel per hour.