"The Canucks had size up front, laid some punishing hits, stuck up for teammates, and physically dominated Thursday's game.

Which begs a couple of questions: Who are these guys?

And: Do Mike Duco and Byron Bitz make that much of a difference?

Bitz was the story up front, but Duco was the fire hydrant with jet engines in the bottom six. He hits like he's swinging an anvil. First it was Cal Clutterbuck he lined up, then it was Nate Prosser he rattled, and that was right before he shook up Matt Cullen.

"On that first shift, he was on the ice against Clutterbuck, who is a real energy and gritty player for them, and he went right after him," Alain Vigineault said. "Bitz did that on a couple of occasions.

"That's a dimension when you play in these tough environments that you need. Those guys brought it."

It's also been a dimension that has been noticeably lacking from the Canucks' lineup this year."