Canucks Come to Own Defense : NHL playoffs: Poised play helps Vancouver take a 1-0 lead in the Smythe Division finals.

It’s not chiseled in stone that playoff games have to be won, 2-1.

King Coach Barry Melrose made that statement in the Forum locker room Thursday night after his team had beaten the Calgary Flames, 9-6, in the sixth and deciding game of their first-round playoff series.

It’s also not chiseled in stone that playoff games can’t be won with solid defense.

The Vancouver Canucks made that statement on the ice at the Pacific Coliseum Sunday where they shut down the high-powered King offense to win the opening game of the Smythe Division finals, 5-2.

In the Canucks’ locker room afterward, the players were as calm and unruffled as they had been on the ice.

Yes, they were well aware of Melrose’s publicly stated plan to continue the strong, aggressive style that had resulted in 33 goals in six games against Calgary, a Kings record for a playoff series.

No, the Canucks were not going to let it upset their own game plan to stay in position, clog the middle when necessary and not lose their poise against scoring threats such as Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato.

“When you play against them,” Vancouver center Cliff Ronning said, “you might think that you have to open it up, too. But we don’t have as many weapons as they have. We have a good defensive team and we have to play it that way.”

Still, Ronning acknowledged, the temptation is to try to skate with the Kings.

“That’s what the coach is there for,” Ronning said. “He’s not going to let us open up. Calgary made that mistake. They went end to end with them (the Kings).

“Their game is an attack game. Ours is trying to contain it.”

Vancouver won that game within the game, containing the Kings well enough to hold them to only 27 shots on goal, including only five in the first period and 15 during the first two.

“If the game gets wide open,” Canuck defenseman Gerald Diduck said, “it’s not always what the other team is doing. It’s also what you are doing.

“If we win a 2-1 game, it feels better to me, but I’ll take a 9-8 win.”

Sunday was especially sweet for the Vancouver defense. Not only did the Canucks turn away the Kings for most of the afternoon, but three Vancouver defensemen--Dana Murzyn, Dave Babych and Diduck--scored goals as well.

There was one other key ingredient that was missing from the Flames--a goalie. Calgary goaltenders Mike Vernon and Jeff Reese weren’t invisible when they faced the Kings. They just played that way. Kirk McLean, on the other hand, was clearly visible, shutting down many King attacks.

“Look at the players they have,” McLean said. “If you give them a little daylight, they will capitalize. We don’t want to get into a run-and-gun game with them.

“I don’t know if they want to play like that even though they say they do.”

At least they said that before Sunday. But like the man said, nothing is chiseled in stone.