First, let’s address the “givens” I stated.

I said Luongo would play well, and he did. Bobby Lou was the game’s first star, and was very solid all night. He made tough stops look easy, and he threw in a couple of beautiful post-to-post pad saves for flavour, as well.

I also suggesed Ryan Kesler would make an impact at both ends of the ice. Kesler didn’t factor into the scoring, but he made some offensive rushes. He was far more prevalent defensively, blocking several shots and coming up huge on the penalty kill, particularly during a long 5-on-3, where he and Alex Burrows were brilliant.

But what about the question marks?

I questioned the offensive impact of the Sedin twins. Daniel scored the opening goal and added an assist, and Henrik contributed an assist as well. That’s a very good sign.

I wondered how Vancouver’s special teams would fare. The Canucks scored a power play goal and potted their other marker on a delayed St. Louis penalty. However, they let in a goal while they were on the penalty kill, as well. But since the Canucks were much stronger in five-on-five play, they really only need to match the Blues’ power play output to have the advantage in the series.

I also questioned the play of Mats Sundin, and unfortunately this was less of a positive answer. Sundin was largely invisible, other than one shift in the third period. He needs to do more, and hopefully will in future games.

Some other bright points from the game:

• The Canucks were physically aggressive and involved, though they weren’t always in as much control of themselves as I would have liked. Even Daniel Sedin got engaged in a couple of scrums, which is uncharacteristic. Intimidation is a valuable tactic in the playoffs, and if the Canucks can keep their aggression under control it will serve them well.
• There were several positives coming from Kyle Wellwood, Mason Raymond, and Steve Bernier. Bernier in particular provided a screen on Sami Salo’s goal from the point, and Wellwood played a solid game at both ends of the ice.

Here’s what we don’t know:

• Can the Sedin twins score a point per game? In past years, the Sedins haven’t met expectations in the playoffs. They need to prove that they can be consistently productive in the postseason. Having a legitimate second line this year should help take some of the defensive pressure off of them, but they’ll still have their work cut out for them.
• Will Mats Sundin elevate his game? The big Swede has shown periods of dominant play since he joined the team in January, but he’s been inconsistent. His career playoff stats are very strong, but so are his career regular season stats, and the Canucks need more than they’ve been getting from him.
• Can Vancouver match the Blues’ special teams? The Canucks’ power play and penalty killing were far from special this year, while St. Louis put up some very impressive numbers. Vancouver needs to improve its special teams play to have success: Luongo needs to be the best penalty killer, and the PP needs to capitalize on its opportunities.

There are other question marks, as well: can Alex Burrows carry his regular-season success through to the playoffs? Will the third line of Bernier, Wellwood, and Raymond contribute? Can the team’s injury karma remain on the positive side?

Tonight we’ll begin to see some of the answers to these questions. Hopefully most of those answers will be “Yes.”

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)

• My Preference: San Jose
• My Expectation: San Jose wins in 5 games.

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7)

• My Preference: Columbus
• My Expectation: Detroit wins in 5 games.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. St. Louis Blues (6)

• My Preference: Vancouver
• My Expectation: Vancouver wins in 6 games.

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs. Calgary Flames (5)

• My Preference: Chicago
• My Expectation: Chicago wins in 7 games.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

• My Preference: Boston
• My Expectation: Boston wins in 5 games.

Washington Capitals (2) vs. New York Rangers (7)

• My Preference: Washington
• My Expectation: Washington wins in 6 games.

New Jersey Devils (3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)

• My Preference: New Jersey
• My Expectation: Carolina wins in 6 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)

• My Preference: Philadelphia
• My Expectation: Philadelphia wins in 7 games.

It starts with the captain. In the first round of the 2007 playoffs, Roberto Luongo was unbelievable (Scott Neidermayer’s season-ending softie notwithstanding). Though the Canucks’ captain has gone through periods of inconsistency this year, he’s demonstrated in recent games against Calgary and Los Angeles that he’s ready for another big post-season campaign.

But 2007 proved that goaltending alone is not enough. Successful playoff teams rely heavily on two-way players who can score goals while shutting down their opponents defensively. In recent years, Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk, Pittsburgh’s Marion Hossa (now playing with Detroit), and Carolina’s Rod Brindamour have filled this function. For the Canucks, Ryan Kesler is that man. He began the year as the checking line centre, but he quickly graduated from that role and had a breakout season, ultimately winning the Cyclone Taylor trophy as the Canucks’ regular season MVP. He will need to continue his strong play if the Canucks are to improve on their result from two years ago.

The supporting cast will need to be at their best, as well. The Canucks will rely defensively on Willie Mitchell’s long stick, Kevin Bieksa’s physical presence, and Ryan Johnson’s shot blocking. On offense, the Sedin twins have yet to prove themselves beyond the regular season. They’ll get a boost from the tenacious Alexandre Burrows and should benefit from the added threat of Mats Sundin on the second line.

If all of these factors come together, the Canucks could have a shot at something truly amazing this year.

I can’t decide who I’d rather have win this game. As a Canucks fan, I always like to see Calgary lose. And I have to admit I have a soft spot for the young guns in Chicago, so anything that would keep Calgary’s confidence low and improve Chicago’s chance of beating them is fine by me.

Despite this, I can’t really get behind cheering for Edmonton. Here’s why.

A team can win with an assortment of A- players if there is one A+ guy to be a difference-maker–in fact, Luongo’s Canucks are a great example of this, as are Ovechkin and the Capitals. Teams can also win with predominantly B or B+ players, so as long as they have a handful of A and A+ players to carry the load–take a look at Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But Edmonton has assembled a team of B+ players and no real superstars. Hemsky, Horcoff, Kotalik, Penner, Souray, and Moreau are good players, but they aren’t franchise players. Dwayne Roloson has his moments, but he also has his moments.

The Oilers are banking on Sam Gagne and Andrew Cogliano growing up and turning into legitimate top-six forwards, and they’d like to see Dustin Penner score 65 points instead of a mere 37. That may happen next year. But even if it does, the Oilers will still only have a few A- players with a handful of B+ guys to supplement them. That’s not good enough, not without an A+ to hang the team on.

What Edmonton needs in order to become a contender is a franchise forward. Their defense is good enough–not fantastic, but good enough. But having two defensemen in their top four scorers is unacceptable. A Jarome Iginla or a Vincent Lecavalier would make Hemsky, Horcoff, and the rest seem a lot more valuable, and would give the Oilers a catalyst and a cornerstone, someone to look to when the game is on the line. Where’s that going to come from? I don’t know. It’s always preferable to draft stars or develop them internally, but a city like Edmonton can’t afford that much time–they have to keep their fans happy. That means a significant free agent signing, or maybe an off-season trade where the team has to give up some of their excess B+ guys.

Whatever route the Oilers take, they’re going to have lots of time to think about it.