Panaccio: Kesler, Canucks' playoff engine

May 14, 2011SHARKS PAGESHARKSVIDEO
Tim PanaccioCSNPhilly.com

Through two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Sedin twins have pretty much been no-shows.That the Canucks could get away with advancing given the Sedins' transparency is a surprise, unless you consider that Ryan Kesler has taken up all their slack.So the question becomes, can the Canucks afford the Sedins lack of productionto continue against the high-powered Sharks when the Western Conference finals open tomorrow in Vancouver.And have Daniel and Henrik Sedin been unfairly singled out by people for lack of offense7 goals, a -16 combined rating between them.I think they got some unfair criticism there, Canuck coach Alain Vigneault said on Saturday. They obviously are here to produce. With that being said, though, they played some solid games where they spent a lot of time on the other team's end. They spent a lot of time generating some quality chances.RATTO: What should Sharks expect in Vancouver?
You got to give credit where credit is due. They both made some real good saves.I'm confident that if they continue to play the right way, it's not going to get easier obviously with the opposition that we're facing. But if they continue to put in the right type of work and the right type of play, that they're going to do what they need to do to help us win.The pressure will be on both to produce in this next series, especially, if the Sharks find a way to contain Kesler, which no one has been able to do so far.It's never going to change, Henrik Sedin said of expectations. It's always going to be the same. Either you like it and you enjoy playing under pressure or you're moving out of there. That's the way it is. We really enjoy playing where people care. There's a lot of attention on the team, so that's not a problem for us.Brother Daniel agreed.
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You either embrace it, or like Henrik said, you choose not to play in a Canadian city or in the NHL. You have to like playing under pressure. Things go bad, things go good, you have to stay the same. That's the number one thing.At least, this round offers both players a fresh start. The collective hopes of Canada are upon Vancouver, which hasnt advanced to a Stanley Cup Final since 1994, if you can remember that far back.San Jose has never been to a Cup Final.I think every game is a fresh start in the playoffs, Henrik Sedin said. It's a thing where you have to move on. You look at the next game as a chance to make a difference.This is the way we look at it. Always a chance to go out there next shift, next game, make a difference, and that's not going to change just because it's a new series.Tim Panaccio covers the Philadelphia Flyers for CSNPhilly.com. Email him and let him know what you think! Follow Tim @tpanotch.