"In the really good playoff series, the war of words off the ice is just as good as the war on it.

Not surprisingly, the Canucks-Blackhawks series is showing potential.

Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who's never at a loss for words, has established an interesting byplay through the media with Hawks hulking D-man/forward John Scott.

Bieksa started it before Game 3, when he was asked what he expected with the Hawks inserting 6-foot-8, 260-pound Scott into the lineup. Scott, who gets into the lineup roughly half the games, is known primarily as a fighter.

Said Bieksa: "If a 6-foot-8 guy who can't skate asks to fight, you say no, then skate around him and score a goal.""