The Canucks knew first hand both how hard and how important it is to win an elimination Game 5 at home after failing to do so in the first two rounds.

"They say the fourth win is the toughest one to get, and that's been the case for us," captain Henrik Sedin said. "The other team is for sure treating it as a Game 7, and if you are not doing it yourself, it's tough to win those games."

Vancouver admittedly didn't treat its first two chances to advance in five games with the same intensity as its opponents, and it proved costly both times.

The first time it cost the Canucks momentum, a player and almost the series as defenseman Sami Salo was injured during Game 6 in Chicago and the Blackhawks forced a Game 7 (and overtime as well) before the Canucks finally advanced. In the next round they failed to finish off the Predators in five games, and it cost them a long trip back to Nashville and two valuable days off before advancing to the Western Conference final.

"We noticed from series past we have to have the killer instinct to finish the other team off," Salo said "Otherwise it will give them momentum and too many chances."

It also gave the Canucks less rest. The extra two flights to and from Nashville did little to help Henrik, who labored and was criticized for combining with twin brother Daniel Sedin for only seven points and a minus-10 rating against the Predators.

But after six days off between series, the Sedins had 18 points against San Jose. All of which made it so important to finish off the Sharks in Game 5 on Tuesday, which they did with a 3-2 double-overtime win. Now the Canucks will be off until Wednesday before playing the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup.

"You can get off the ice, recharge and get ready the next series," Henrik said.

CANUCKS 3, SHARKS 2 (2 OT): Outplayed for long stretches and outshot from beginning to end, the Canucks relied on 54 saves from Roberto Luongo to give them a chance and a couple of lucky break to take advantage of it. The first break came on a bad icing call that gave them an offensive-zone faceoff without Luongo out of the net, allowing Ryan Kesler to tie it on a tip with 13.2 seconds left. Then they got an even bigger break when Alex Edler's dump-in caromed almost impossibly off a stanchion to Kevin Bieksa just inside the blue line, allowing him to one-time the rolling puck and send it fluttering and bouncing in before anyone on the else even realized where it was. Alex Burrows opened the scoring and Luongo was at his best early, then again in overtime after getting caught on a gamble trying to win a race to a 2-on-0 that resulted in the Sharks taking the lead early in the third period.

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