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Vancouver defense continues its disconcerting shuffles as Chris Tanev replaces Keith Ballard

Dan Hamhuis, Troy Brouwer, Roberto Luongo

Vancouver Canucks’ Roberto Luongo, left, reacts after teammate Chris Tanev, right, knocked the puck into their own net for a Chicago Blackhawks goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, Feb. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)

AP

While Roberto Luongo’s struggles are well-documented, there is a more disturbing reality brimming underneath the surface for the Vancouver Canucks. After rolling with injury-related punches to their defensive corps time and time again during the regular season, it seems like Vancouver’s D is finally stumbling from repeated postseason body blows.

The hope was that handsomely paid seventh defenseman Keith Ballard would be able to save the day or at least stop the bleeding. Instead, the hip checking maestro was a turnover machine (and not delicious apple turnovers either, sadly).

If you wanted any more proof that Canucks coach Alain Vigneault doesn’t trust Ballard in the playoffs, today’s lineup note will drive that point home. Unproven rookie Chris Taven will take his place in the lineup for Game 5, according to Darren Dreger.

This basically breaks the Canucks defense down to: Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler, Sami Salo, Christian Ehrhoff, Andrew Alberts and Tanev. When remotely healthy, the strength of Vancouver’s defense was that there wasn’t a particularly rotten apple in the bunch. The sum was greater than their individual parts. Now their defense seems like a “Sum of All Fears” for especially distraught Canucks fans.

Things seem downright dire on D now with crucial defensive defenseman Dan Hamhuis injured and marginal (yet Vigneault-approved?) blueliner Aaron Rome suspended for the finals plus the many semi-documented injuries to active defensemen. The Bruins were able to exploit matchup problems thanks to the last change in Boston, but maybe the Canucks can survive by masking their deficiencies in Vancouver.

Going into this series, it seemed like the Canucks were the obvious favorites. Yet with Ryan Kesler seemingly banged up, the Sedin twins often bottled up by Boston, Luongo faltering and their defense in shambles, it’s tough to deny the notion that the Bruins are the more stable group. We’ll see if the Canucks can get things back together, but they’ll have to overcome their own makeshift defense and some troubling issues to do so.