The wait is finally over for the Vancouver Canucks and their fans.
It will be the first time Vancouver will host a postseason game since 2015 when the Canucks take on the visiting Nashville Predators on Sunday in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoff series.
The Pacific Division champion Canucks made the playoffs in 2020 but had to play in chaotic conditions in Edmonton due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of us in Vancouver have been waiting for this day for a long time,” Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers said. “Fans have been waiting a long time for the playoffs to come back, and it's just exciting for the players to get out on the ice for the first time in front of the fans and step into an atmosphere that they know is coming. ”
Vancouver, which won its first division since 2013, swept the three-game season series against Nashville, with two of those wins coming on the Predators' home ice.
In the only previous playoff series in which the two teams met, the Canucks defeated Nashville in six games in the Western Conference semifinals in 2011, sending Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Final.
It's no exaggeration to say that Vancouver has a lot of energy. The key for the Canucks is to use that energy in a positive way.
“I think as a group, we just have to worry about Game 1. We can't focus on the important things,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. “It's dangerous to think that way. Honestly, you should be ready for the first period against Nashville and be ready to play from the first shift. People get nervous when you think about the big picture. So I think it's just a matter of short-term goals for us. ”
The Predators secured a wild card spot in the Western Conference thanks to a hot final third of the regular season, including an incredible 16-0-2 record from February 17th to March 26th. won the top spot. All three games against the Canucks took place before Christmas. .
“We're a much different team (now),” Nashville forward Ryan O'Reilly said. “When we played (earlier this season) against the Canucks, our game wasn't in the same situation as it is now.
“We have something to prove. There are no easy playoff games or playoff series,” O'Reilly added. “They brought it to us this year and they played us well. It's a chance for us to fight back and respond to them.”
The Predators ended their eight-year playoff drought last season, but after reshaping the roster and hiring new coach Andrew Brunette, Nashville has added goaltender Juice Saros and defenseman and captain Roman・The team has rebuilt around Josi and forward Filip Forsberg.
Forsberg scored a franchise-record 48 goals this season.
The Predators had to settle for a wild card to make the postseason, but they have no intention of falling back to being one of the top teams in the West.
“It was a big goal for us to get to the playoffs and prove everyone wrong,” Nashville defenseman Jeremy Lauzon said. “I don't think anyone saw us in the playoffs this year and it's great that this group made it happen. We're a character group and a lot of people I think I can surprise you.”
