Feeling somewhat more seasoned in playoff experience, the Vancouver Canucks now face an opponent with loads of it.

Vancouver opens a first-round, best-of-seven series Wednesday in Edmonton against the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. The winnerB次元官网网址檚 second-round opponent will be the victor of the series between the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars.

The Canucks are a playoff team for the first time since 2015.

Ten Canucks, including goaltender Jakob Markstrom, had zero NHL post-season experience prior to beating the Minnesota Wild in four games in a best-of-five qualifier.

After dropping the opener, the Canucks won three straight game to advance.

B次元官网网址淚t was great for us, a great learning experience because thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of us playing our first NHL playoffs,B次元官网网址� Canucks forward Elias Pettersson said.

NHL playoffs veteran J.T. Miller and first-timer Troy Stecher answer questions from the media about beating the Wild and moving on to face the Blues.

B次元官网网址� Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks)

Vancouver rides the confidence that comes with three consecutive victories, while the Blues have yet to win a game since their arrival in Edmonton.

St. Louis kept its 2019 Cup roster intact and topped the Western Conference this season. But the Blues went 0-3 in the round robin of the conferenceB次元官网网址檚 top four teams to determine seeding.

St. Louis defenceman Alex Pietrangelo is aware his team needs to summon urgency for an elimination series that opens with three games in five days.

B次元官网网址淥ur minds will be really dialled in here,B次元官网网址� the captain said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e had a lot of down time in this qualifying. They gave us a probably a little bit too much time to sit around.

B次元官网网址淭o be able to flip that switch, I think if thereB次元官网网址檚 a group that can do it, itB次元官网网址檚 going to be us.B次元官网网址�

The penalty box will be a factor given the potency of each teamB次元官网网址檚 power play units. St. Louis ranked third in the league with a man advantage (24.3), marginally ahead of Vancouver in fourth (24.2).

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Blues head coach Craig Berube can handle his players taking penalties to prevent a goal or to assert physicality, but canB次元官网网址檛 abide cheap minors.

B次元官网网址淲e havenB次元官网网址檛 been disciplined yet,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got to do a much better job of getting rid of the slashing penalties and the hookings and things like that.B次元官网网址�

VancouverB次元官网网址檚 78 penalty minutes versus the Wild led all teams in the NHLB次元官网网址檚 restart.

B次元官网网址淪pecial teams, itB次元官网网址檚 going to be huge in this series as well,B次元官网网址� Canucks forward Loui Eriksson said. B次元官网网址淲e have to stay maybe a little bit more discipline and donB次元官网网址檛 take as many penalties we did against Minnesota.B次元官网网址�

Each team boasts a faceoff circle ace. Blues assistant captain Ryan OB次元官网网址橰eilly took more draws than any player in the NHL this season winning 56.6 per cent of his 1,556.

Canucks captain Bo Horvat ranked third in reps (1,483) winning 57.3.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 better to start with the puck than without it,B次元官网网址� Canucks coach Travis Green said. B次元官网网址淎t this time of year, itB次元官网网址檚 all those little things that add up at the end of the night.B次元官网网址�

Canucks forwards Tyler Toffoli and Micheal Ferland remained B次元官网网址渦nfit to playB次元官网网址� after suffering undisclosed injuries in the Wild series.

KEY MATCHUP B次元官网网址� VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Elias Pettersson shooting on Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington. Pettersson edged runner-up Binnington in voting to win last yearB次元官网网址檚 Calder Cup in their rookie seasons.

THE BIG QUESTION B次元官网网址� Can Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko recover his scoring touch? A five-time 30-goal scorer, Tarasenko played only 10 regular-season games because of October shoulder surgery. The NHLB次元官网网址檚 four-month pause was a recovery boon for the Russian, but he didnB次元官网网址檛 record a point in three seeding-pool games.

PLAYOFF HISTORY B次元官网网址� Vancouver hasnB次元官网网址檛 claimed a Cup, but reached the finals three times (1982, 1994, 2011). The Blues have made the playoffs eight of the nine years winning the franchiseB次元官网网址檚 first Stanley Cup in 2019.

COACHESB次元官网网址� PLAYOFF HISTORY B次元官网网址� Prior to navigating the Blues to last yearB次元官网网址檚 Cup win, BerubeB次元官网网址檚 playoff experience as a head coach was limited to a first-round appearance in 2014 with the Philadelphia Flyers. Green makes his playoff debut as a head coach. The two men have a combined 145 playoff games between them as players, but neither won a Cup.

REGULAR-SEASON RECORDS B次元官网网址� The Blues topped the Western Conference (42-19-10), while the Canucks ranked seventh (36-27-6).

SEASON SERIES B次元官网网址� Vancouver went 2-0-1 versus St. Louis, with a 3-1 win Jan. 27 and a 4-3 shootout victory Oct. 17. The Blues won 2-1 in OT on Nov. 5.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press