By Kathryn Uggerholt

The Edmonton Oilers have found themselves in a place they know all too familiar over the past few seasons — hovering around the bottom of the NHL standings. With only two wins in their last 10 games, the team has 33 points to place them 26th overall in the league, and 13th in the West. Their current placement in the standings is troubling after getting off to such a great start to the season.

The key to the Oilers offense has been their surprisingly successful power play. Surprising may not be the right word, but they did finish with the League’s 27th ranked power play (14.5%) last season, scoring only 44 power play goals. 

This year has been a different story, as only two teams have a better man-advantage percentage. Edmonton’s power play is ranked 3rd (20.7%), with only the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators succeeding on a more consistent basis. The Oilers are also third in power play goals scored with 30, the same amount as the Pittsburgh Penguins. The only teams ahead of them are the Canucks with 36 goals, and the Philadelphia Flyers with 32.

A fiery power play is due in part to the dynamic “Kid Line” of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Eberle. The trio, whose combined age is only 59, has combined for 16 of the club’s 30 power play goals.

Sophomore forward Eberle has scored the most man advantage goals of the three with seven, which also ranks him 5th in the league. He also has six assists on the power play to give him 13 points, or a third of his overall points, in his 3:40 average man advantage ice time per game. Eberle is also riding a six-game point streak, which dates back to the December 15th game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Prior to the current streak, Eberle had been on another six-game point streak that was snapped when the team was shut out by the Calgary Flames on December 9th. 

Hall is also in the NHL’s top 15 players in power play goals scored with six. The winger has actually recorded more power play goals than he has scored at even strength (four).

While his total of three power play goals doesn’t place him among the leaders, Nugent-Hopkins is second in the league in power play assists to Florida Panther’s defenseman Brian Campbell, and fourth in power play assists just behind the Sedin twins and Claude Giroux. The rookie has only three goals on the power play but 15 assists. Having logged an average of 3:39 of power play TOI per contest, Nugent-Hopkins has posted the team’s highest ratio of man advantage points at 51.4% (18/35).

The Oilers have many ingredients in place with which to win games, but they have not been successful as of late. The major difference in the team’s results has been the rise in goals-against average — from a microscopic 1.5 goals per game allowed over the first 14 games (21 goals), at which point they were 9-3-2, to the current 2.77 (100/36). That means over the course of the past 22 contests, Edmonton has yielded 79 goals, or an unacceptable 3.59 GAA. Not so coincidentally, the Oilers have gone 6-15-1 in the last 22 outings.

For Edmonton to get back on track, a more defensive-conscious effort is necessary, along with better play while five-on-five. Until those adjustments are made, one can only hope the power play continues to produce in the interim.

 David Strehle contributed to this story

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

Last night’s 5-1 debacle in Tampa Bay, in which the Philadelphia Flyers outshot the Lightning, 32-16, raised numerous questions to explore regarding the recent play of the orange-and-black.

Sure, there are a number of injuries, but just about every team is going through the same situation as Philly. After watching the Pittsburgh Penguins constant rotation of players between Wilkes Barre-Scranton and the ‘Burgh over the past two seasons, injuries cannot be used as an excuse.

After playing perhaps their most complete game of the season in a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center on December 13, the Flyers barely held on for a 4-3 victory in Montreal two nights later. Things have gone downhill ever since.

Following a seven-game winning streak that pushed them to the apex of the Eastern Conference standings, the team has now dropped four of its last five contests (1-3-1). In the process, the New York Rangers have passed them for first place in the Atlantic Division, and with a win last night, those pesky Pittsburgh Penguins have tied them with 46 points. Philadelphia still maintains fourth place for the moment as a result of playing one fewer game than the Pens, but that could become a moot point when they face off against each another tomorrow night at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Along with a drop in the general level of team defense, the top-ranked Flyers’ offense has been almost non-existent in the last five outings. Philly has been collectively outscored, 18-9, during that stretch.

Bryzgalov Blows His Cool

The case of Ilya Bryzgalov’s first-year in Philadelphia has been a rather odd one, marred by wild streaks of inconsistency. After starting out the year with three straight wins – which included a shutout, something the Flyers failed to get from any netminders all of last season — the Russian goaltender dropped his next five decisions (0-4-1).

An unfettered Stamkos backhands the puck past Bryzgalov to give Tampa a 2-1 lead in the second period last night. (Photo credit: Chris O'Meara / Associated Press)

Bryzgalov then went on an 11-1-1 stretch and appeared to be coming out of the woods, but has proceeded to go 0-3-1 in his last four.

Last night’s performance against the Lightning may have been his worst outside of the ridiculous 9-8 horror show against the Winnipeg Jets in late-October. While the team exhibited several breakdowns in defensive zone coverages, Bryzgalov seemed out of position on many of the goals. He appeared to misplay angles, and Tampa shooters were able to hit their marks. This was particularly evident on Vincent Lecavalier’s snipe in the last minute of regulation in the third period, when the Bolts’ captain flipped a quick shot from the right circle that Bryzgalov appeared to be cheating too far the the near post. Lecavalier’s shot sailed over Bryzgalov’s stick side and hit the far corner.

The 31-year-old native of Togliatti, Russia has gone on record earlier in the year as saying he plays much better when “he’s more involved in the game”, or in other words, when he faces more shots on goal. Having yielded just 16 to the Lightning, Bryzgalov appeared to almost be hindered by rust, unprepared to aggressively take on the opposition’s shooter.

“I’m very comfortable,” Bryzgalov said of facing more shots after a 25-save December 8 home win over the Penguins. “Because during the game, you’re moving and facing the shots…your body is in action and your blood is pumping. Your body, you just know, you want the shots, you want to battle. Instead of when you’re just frozen. You can feel you’re toes and you’re like ‘oh my God.’ It’s a big difference. Sometimes you see the goalie, like, it’s tough to play for the goalies who don’t face lots of shots. It’s really tough. I know the difference (having played in Phoenix).”

After last night’s game at St. Pete Times Forum , Bryzgalov was noticeably irked, especially when asked what he thought of his play. His sarcastic “OUTSTANDING…”, then dropping an “F-bomb” on live cable television said more than enough about where his head is right now.

He’s frustrated, and it may be that he cannot get comfortable with seeing a paltry number of shots each night. Some goalies are like that, handling a 40-shot night much better than somewhere in the mid-teens. Martin Brodeur thrived in a situation where he saw few shots each night when he had the likes of Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, and Ken Daneyko patrolling the New Jersey Devils blueline. The number of shutouts he recorded where he was called on to make less than 20 saves were numerous.

Another aspect that may be distracting the franchise goaltender is all of the camera time on HBO’s “24/7″ documentary lead-up to the Winter Classic on January 2. Bryzgalov has been called the “star” of the show so far, contemplating subjects as far-reaching as tigers and the meaning of life, all caught on camera for all to see. Maybe it will be a blessing when all of the hoopla surrounding the Classic ends early next week, and the team can just go back to concentrating on hockey, and Bryzgalov to doing what he does best, which is stopping the puck.

When all seems lost, the best course of action is to just go back to basics, and that point may be here for Bryzgalov.

JVR Playing Through Pain

Along with Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk was supposed to take his game to the next level and help offset some of the offense lost with the departures of scoring leaders Richards and Jeff Carter. With his play down the stretch last season and through the playoffs, the hope did not seem too far-fetched.

While JvR has shown signs of that player from time-to-time this year, he has struggled mightily as of late. With just one goal in his last six contests and three points in the last 11 (1 G, 2A), the second-overall pick in the 2007 draft has nine goals and 19 points in 30 games — a pace for 23 goals and 48 points, which would still be career highs.

But after missing four games at the beginning of the month with an abdominal injury, there could be reason to be concerned about the 22-year-old winger.

Remember the case of Mikael Renberg, the third member of the “Legion of Doom Line”, along with Eric Lindros and John LeClair. Renberg burst onto the scene in 1993-94, scoring 38 goals and 82 points as a 21-year-old rookie, then followed that up with a 26-goal, 57-point sophomore year in just 47 games during a lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign.

He endured an abdominal injury in his third season, and was never the same player again. No longer did Renberg cut to the net with reckless abandon, and he ended up being dealt after a couple more mediocre years.

This is not to say that van Riemsdyk will end up the same way, but more to point out that the Flyers would be wise to handle JvR with ultra-cautious care. Players with the combination of size and speed that he possesses do not come along every year, and it would be a shame to see van Riemsdyk follow the same course that Renberg tread.

(More after the page break)

Schenn Also Struggling

One of the biggest acquisitions in a summer of change for Paul Holmgren’s squad was snagging highly-regarded forward prospect Brayden Schenn, along with Wayne Simmonds, from the Los Angeles Kings in the Mike Richards trade.

After beginning the season in the AHL due in part to a shoulder injury suffered in preseason, as well as a clause in his contract where his salary was better able to fit into Philadelphia’s constrained cap situation, Schenn tore it up in Adirondack to the tune of 12 points (6 G, 6 A) in just seven games before being recalled to the big club in late-October.

His time in Philly ever since has been tenuous, at best. Schenn played in only four games before breaking his foot after blocking a shot in Montreal on October 26, causing him to miss the next 11 games. He was assigned to the Phantoms on November 22 for a rehab stint, then returned to the Flyers at the start of December. He saw action in just two more games before suffering a mild concussion, playing in his last game on December 3, and missing the next nine contests before returning last night.

Schenn has failed to produce a single point thus far, and has been on the minus side of the ledger in five of the seven games in which he has been healthy enough to appear. His -8 rating is second only to fellow rookie Harry Zolnierczyk’s -9.

The fifth overall selection in the 2009 entry draft has to not only attempt to create some offense soon, but also must try to do something he may not have any control over, and that is to remain healthy.

It would seem Schenn will not get any kind of positive momentum going with the constant movement in and out of the lineup, especially with nagging injuries tempering his effectiveness. His confidence has more then likely taken a hit since the good feeling of the summer and early stages of training camp as a result.

Let’s hope as the calendar turns to 2012 next week, it brings a healthier and more productive year for the 20-year-old that holds the key to how the Richards deal will ultimately be judged. While the now does not hold nearly as much as the future does where Schenn is concerned, his fragility may raise some concerns in the Flyers’ camp.

Where’s Danny?

Well, he did show up on the scoresheet with a game-high seven shots on goal, but Danny Briere was held without a point once again last night. It was the fourth time in his last five games the 34-year-old went without recording a point, and has registered just five in his last nine outings (3 G, 2 A).

Like the rest of his teammates, Briere has been banged up from time-to-time, missing three combined games with an upper body injury and a bruised hand. As the club’s highest-paid player at $6.5 million annually, the Flyers obviously need more from the Gatineau, Quebec-native than what they have been receiving.

After playing to mixed reviews in his first three campaigns following his signing as a free agent in 2007, things seemed to come together for Briere after being moved from the wing back to center. Playing between Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino, the line became the club’s most consistent offensive producers.

It was during Philadelphia’s improbable run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, in which he set a team record with 30 points (12 G, 18 A), that Briere really seemed to come into his own with the Flyers. He had been that player before in Buffalo, but it took him until that moment in time in Philly to justify the giant contract, which still has three seasons remaining after this year.

Last year’s totals of 34 goals and 68 points were a continuation of the output he put forth in the 2010 postseason, even if he did take the occasional bad stick infraction at the worst possible time of a game.

He has improved that part of his game of late, but once again has fallen on hard times offensively this year. With 10 goals and 15 assists in 32 games, Briere is on pace for 24 goals and 61 points — which would be his lowest totals since the inconsistent regular season of 2009-10.

Consistency has been lacking this season. Briere has eight different multiple point games, but has failed to string together any more than three consecutive contests with at least one point, which has occurred just once so far (early-December). He has failed to put up a point in 17 of the 32 contests in which he has played.

Which leads into the next point…

Struggling to Score Goals, the Flyers Are Becoming a One-Line Team

In addition to those slumping players referred to above, there are others that have played well without seeing the desired results:

• Jakub Voracek – After scoring goals in two of his first three games with the Flyers, it appeared the 22-year-old winger was just what the doctor ordered for a club that might have some difficulties putting the biscuit in the basket. But even though the seventh-overall pick in the 2007 entry draft has been creative with the puck and set up glorious scoring chances, he has managed to score just three more times himself over the last 32 contests. His 21 points rank Voracek sixth in team scoring, but more is expected of him, especially in the goal-scoring department.
• Matt Read – The preseason Calder Trophy prediction of TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Read has been excellent during his rookie campaign. His 11 goals tie him with Jaromir Jagr for third on the team, and he has scored at very opportune times, with the Flyers in need of a goal. But the 25-year-old former captain at Bemidji State has seen a drop off in production, as well. Read hasn’t scored a goal in the last nine games, totalling just three assists during that span. The good news is he is still getting numerous quality scoring chances, as was the case when he was robbed on a couple of great opportunities last night by Mathieu Garon.

Another rookie that has been out of the lineup, and the recent five-game skid has coincided with his absence, is Sean Couturier. The 19-year-old centerman started off the year at a much better scoring clip than expected. He is not only one of the more responsible players in his own end, Couturier had also been very creative in the offensive end of the rink. Even though he went through a 15-game drought with having failed to pick up a point and recorded just one assist in the last 17 contests before being struck in the head with a Kimmo Timonen slap shot, he had been promoted to the top line when Giroux suffered his concussion.

Couturier’s loss has been one of the biggest in a long line of injuries sustained by key Philadelphia skaters, and the 1-3-1 mark since he left the lineup may not be much of a coincidence.

With so many players failing to contribute, Philadelphia has become a one-line team, allowing opponents to key even more than usual on the line of Hartnell, Giroux, and Jagr.

Take all of the above factors and mesh them together, and it adds up to a bad stretch. Every team is subject to these skids, going through rough patches during a long regular season. As long as many of the issues resolve, Philadelphia should be just fine. Imagine how everyone would have felt knowing in advance the Flyers would be 21-10-4 after a summer overhaul. You would have to say people would have been elated.

And finally, some good news…

Giroux’s Was An Epic Return From Concussion

There are numerous ’return games’ referred to throughout the NHL, and most of them revolve around two players from the Western side of Pennsylvania.

The mere mention of a player having a great game when coming back from an injury conjures up all kinds of images of Mario Lemieux doing something once thought to be impossible. Most of Super Mario’s exploits are amazing, but his performances after returning from long layoffs — back injury, Hodgkins Disease, even retirement – are the stuff of legend.

This season, Lemieux’s Penguins’ protege, Sidney Crosby, pulled off something similar. After missing over 10 months with a concussion, ‘Sid the Kid’ made a triumphant return to the Pittsburgh lineup against the New York Islanders on November 21st. Scoring two goals and adding two assists, Crosby carried the Pens on his back to a 5-0 victory over the Isles.

The heroics of Crosby’s comeback in late-November have since been overshadowed by his recurrence of concussion-like symptoms that have again placed him on the shelf, and his future is in doubt.

A team from the other side of the ‘Keystone State’ had a strikingly similar occurence last Wednesday night in Dallas. That’s when the Flyers decided to bring their leading scorer, Giroux, back after sitting out the previous four games with a concussion suffered in a freak accident when clipped by Simmonds’ knee during a 5-2 win at the Wells Fargo Center on December 10.

Though not injured as seriously as either Crosby or Lemieux and not out of the lineup for nearly as long, the diminutive Giroux still gave fans in Philadelphia quite a thrill in his first game back.

The rest of the field used Giroux’s absence to tie him for the NHL’s scoring lead — Toronto’s Phil Kessel, Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin, and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin had all tied Giroux for the top spot with 39 points as of the time of his return.

After watching Michael Ryder give the Stars a 1-0 lead in the game’s first minute, the rest of the night belonged to Giroux and the Flyers. The 23-year-old wizard scored the next goal, then proceeded to assist on three others as Philadelphia skated to a 4-1 victory.

The game further cemented Giroux’s status as one of the game’s rising young superstars, as well as pointing out the fact that he is just as important an offensive cog to the Flyers attack as any other player is to their respective team in the League today.

On a night where Giroux turned Dallas into ‘Big G’ for just a few short hours, his four-point night in a comeback game will be a part of Flyers’ lore for years to come.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By Jeff Quirin

Only one long standing drought would end Wednesday night in Vancouver. With a Bruins standard issue effort best described as “gutsy”, Boston quenched their 39 year thirst. Defeating the Canucks and their ravenous fans 4-0 to earn the franchise’s 6th championship.

Tim Thomas was up to his old tricks, Venturing as far out of his crease as he dared, resulting in another commanding performance with key saves and a little help from his defensemen at the right time. By the final horn’s call Thomas stopped all 37 shots against his net en route to his second shutout of the series and the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Offensive contributions came from brash rookie Brad Marchand and the usually mild mannered Patrice Bergeron. The duo provided a pair of goals each with Bergeron nabbing the game winner at the 14:37 mark of the first period. A clean win off the draw by Bergeron allowed Marchand to circle the near corner and send a centering pass back to the face off winner for a one timer past Roberto Luongo.

Marchand stretched the lead to 2-0 when his relentless work low in the offensive zone lead to a wrap around score with 7:47 left in the second set. The Canucks were down but not out till Bergeron’s tallied his second of the night. With less than three minutes left in the second period he is hauled down by Vancouver defenseman Christian Ehrhoff on a partial break away. While a clean shot was never taken Luongo, was unable to keep the puck from sliding through him as crashing bodies invaded his crease. The play was reviewed, but the call would stand as a good goal.

Marchand would cap off the night’s scoring with an empty net goal at the 17:16 mark of the third period.

Some credit for the chemistry between the goal scorers can be attributed to the third man on the line, Mark Recchi. The ageless wonder, appearing in his last game of his 22-year career, was the perfect steadying force for the Bruins second line. He added an assist on Marchand’s first goal and his third Stanley Cup victory.

On the Vancouver side of the equation all was not well.

The Canucks brought speed and physical play to the forefront, but lacked mental focus, discipline and properly channeled emotion. As highlighted by the NBC crew during Wednesday night’s coverage, the Bruins goals came off of mental breakdowns by Canuck skaters. Slow line changes and missed markings on face offs. Small details that can be easily over come from October to April are not so easy in June.

In a series where home ice has meant everything, optimism was high for Luongo to throw more critics off his large chest protector. In three previous games at Rogers Arena Roberto stopped 95 of 97 Bruins shots — a .979 save percentage. Instead he was unable to come up with a momentum turning save to keep the difference more manageable. Stopping only 17 of 20 shots against. Just a .850 save percentage. Maybe the water Nathan Horton brought from Boston that was deviously sprayed on to the ice reverted Luongo’s capabilities to those displayed across the continent.

The focus cannot solely be on the netminder. With a lineup as talented and deep as the Canucks finding a way to score three of four goals is a norm, not an exception.

Credit the play of Boston’s top pairing of captain Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg for neutralizing Vancouver’s primary offensive threats. Both Henrik and Daniel Sedin, as well as Ryan Kesler, were largely forced to less than ideal scoring areas and held pointless. In the series the big three combined for 1 goal, 2 assists and a minus-25 rating in the four Bruins wins.

The typically dominate Kesler was anything but in the face off circle. Going 8 for 21 (38%) on the draw.  However, the rest of his game was effectively where it should have been.

Agitating forward Alex Burrows was a non factor in the outcome. With a generous six hits, two shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in over 20 minutes of action.

As Thomas said after the game, “Being the last game, we didn’t save anything. That was the difference.” In a one game, winner take all throwdown generally the victor leaves nothing for tomorrow. Boston threw everything possible at Vancouver and found a way to dig for even more. The Canucks desire just never seemed to reach that bloodthirsty level. The difference between a team thinking “they should win” compared to a team “thinking they can if the fight to the death”. That sense of urgency made all the difference.

Random Game / Series Notes

- Boston is the fourth consecutive Stanley Cup champion to not win on home ice. The last to do so was the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

- Boston is the fourth Winter Classic participant to make it to the Stanley Cup finals. The third to win. The Pittsburgh Penguins (2009) and Chicago Blackhawks (2010) are the other two.

- Boston is the third Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup in the last four seasons. The Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and Blackhawks in 2010 are the other two.

- Chara is the second European born captain to win the Cup. The first was Nicklas Lidstrom of the Red Wings in 2008. He also lead all players with a plus-14 rating in the playoffs.

- Thomas owns the NHL record for most saves in the postseason with 798. He is also the first goalie to post a Game 7 shutout on the road. His post season GAA of 2.06 was only .06 off from his regular season mark of 2.00. Both are the best in the League.

- David Krejci lead the Bruins in postseason scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 24 games. He also lead all players with four Game Winning Goals in the post season as well.

- Ehrhoff had a playoff low Minus-14 rating in 22 games.

- Canucks instigator Max Lapierre lead all players with 66 penalty minutes throughout the playoffs.

- Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa lead topped the postseason Hit chart with 81.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: Cupcanal

There are many storylines tonight but the actual game is the story.  We can focus on every minuscule elementbut at this point the only thing both teams are focused on is winning. Winning Lord Stanley’s Cup, the greatest prize in the history of the sport, which will be given to the undisputed champion of the 2011 NHL Playoffs.

Amid the controversy, determination and scuttlebutt comes two seemingly confident teams — digging deep in order to get that last necessary W. The beneficiary of that win will finish the playoffs with 16, while the other 15 wins remain a rewarding yet useless statistic when the 35 lbs of silver and nickel alloy gets hoisted above the head of the enemy.

In the Vancouver Canucks camp, the team remains confident, or at least spoke to reporters this morning in a confident manner. Alternate captain Daniel Sedin likes the team’s odds although he must be somewhat discouraged by his team’s lack of a killer instinct.

“You know, that was probably me being excited and the words came wrong out of my mouth. What I said was if we put our best game on the ice, I like our chances. That’s the way it’s been all year. When we play our best, we’re a tough team to beat. We show that at home. We like our chances.”

The sniper Sedin assisted on both goals in his team’s 5-2 loss and has taken some of the pressure off the disappearances of brother Henrik Sedin and the slumping center Ryan Kesler. Sedin finished the season as the League leader in points so naturally being held off the scoresheet for three of the past six games have been a feat of its own. To take a page out of his book, we like his changes at finding the back of the net tonight.

Regardless, to do that he will need to find twine behind Conn Smythe shoe-in Tim Thomas. Through the first six games of the series, Thomas has posted an unbelievable 1.42 GAA, .962 SV% with a shutout. His success has been the complete opposite of Roberto Luongo, who continues to ward off his doubters while being pulled in two of his six starts and shutting out the Bruins in two of those six as well.

Simply put: the goalies control their team’s fate.

One thing we do know is the Canucks do not need motivation scoring on Thomas. After six marvelous performances, they seem confident in getting the puck past him, not relying on the Mason Raymond injury to motivate them — opposed to the #DoitforHorton campaign — as Kevin Bieksa pointed out this morning. “We obviously wish Mason was in the lineup right now, but I’ve said from the beginning, we don’t need extra motivation,” said Bieksa. “The Stanley Cup is enough motivation for us. So we’re not looking for any extras to help us get to that peak motivation.”

The Canucks do not lack motivation, much like the Bruins don’t feel added pressure on them. The latter were confident in their abilities during Game 6 and won by a healthy margin. They remain calm as this excellent mix of veteran leadership and young up-and-comers continue to blossom. ”Pressure’s five kids, no job,” Shawn Thornton said to Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe. “This is Game 7. This is fun, right? We get to play a game for a living. Just enjoy it.” He puts the game into perspective but make no mistake he wants to hoist the Cup and watching a Sedin with it would not be ‘fun’.

To summarize, the Bruins are relaxed, the Canucks like their odds and the point is still winning the Stanley Cup. When all is said and done, no one playing in this contest will forget the action tonight as we prepare for the final tilt of the season and will finally have a resolution to another season. Puck drops at 8:00 PM EST; it could not come quicker at this point.

Expected Game 7 Boston Bruins Lineup:

• Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Rich Peverley
• Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi*
• Michael Ryder, Chris Kelly, Tyler Seguin
• Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton
• Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg
• Tomas Kaberle, Adam McQuaid
• Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk

Thomas will make his 25th consecutive start in goal.

The Bruins are not expected to make any line changes tonight after using this winning formula since Horton left the ice on a stretcher. Expect more of the same.

*It has been speculated tonight will be Mark Recchi’s last NHL game. He hopes to hoist the Cup up for one last time tonight.

Expected Game 7 Vancouver Canucks Lineup:

• Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows
• Christopher Higgins, Ryan Kesler, Jeff Tambellini**
• Raffi Torres, Maxim Lapierre, Jannik Hansen
• Tanner Glass, Manny Malhotra, Victor Oreskovich
• Alexander Edler***, Sami Salo
• Andrew Alberts, Christian Ehrhoff
• Chris Tanev, Kevin Bieksa

Luongo will make his 18th consecutive start in goal tonight.

**Tambellini is the expected replacement for Raymond but it remains unknown where he will play tonight. He has enough speed to play on the second line and has even taken shifts with the Sedin Twins earlier in the season. AV will play his cards close to the vest.

***Edler did not skate this morning but is expected to stay in the lineup tonight.

Players to Watch:

Vancouver Canucks — Roberto Luongo

Out of the four players I could find transcripts for, nobody on the Canucks mentioned Luongo. There is absolutely no doubt that he will make or break this game. It all starts with the first 10 minutes. If he can make saves on the short side or up by his ears, he should be fine. If not, Cory Schneider might get called into the game even earlier.

Boston Bruins — Tim Thomas

Thomas knows what he needs to do and shows all the determination to win tonight’s game.

“Yep, the reality is, for me anyways, this may be the only Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals that I ever have in my career. If we happen to make it again, hopefully we can win before 7. But it’s a big game.”

If he can continue his storybook season, the Bruins will be the champs.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Creative Editor

“When we’re in the garage or driveway playing as a kid and you’re fantasizing, well, I was Stevie Yzerman, which doesn’t make sense for a goalie, but you’re saying to yourself, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, you’re not saying Game 6, you know?” said goaltender Tim Thomas yesterday.  “So this is really, you know, what every kid dreams about.”

It’s what most players have dreamt about all their lives.  It all comes down to one game, for all the marbles.

After the first six games of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins are deadlocked at three games apiece.  The deciding Game 7 will be played tonight at Rogers Arena.

Even though neither team was able to gain the ultimate advantage and clinch the Cup just yet, there are definitely some trends that have become crystal clear.  This has been one of the most physical Finals in recent memory, and several of the hits – from both teams – have been of the questionable nature.

Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome drilled Nathan Horton with what was deemed to be a late, open ice hit on an unsuspecting player early in Game 3, leading to Rome’s suspension for the remainder of the series.  Horton suffered a major concussion and will be out until at least training camp.

One thing the Rome hit seemed to do was awaken the sleeping bear and give the Bruins a rallying point in the series.  Down 2-0 in games and in a scoreless contest on home ice, Boston proceeded to anihilate the Canucks that night, 8-1.  Notice was served by the Bruins that they were not going to go quietly.  “Win it for Nathan” has been a familiar slogan from head coach Claude Julien, the players, and fans alike.  The legendary number four himself, Bobby Orr, was even waving a #18 Horton flag in the crowd prior to the opening faceoff of Game 4.

Horton has made appearances in the Bruins’ locker room to help inspire his teammates.  “I was very happy to see him, and I’m very happy to have him around,” said Thomas.  ”I just spent some time talking to him in the locker room.  He’s a positive guy.  His joy for the game and life is kind of like a little kid, and that’s a great thing, and I personally feed off of that.”

The concussed winger made the trip to Vancouver with the team.  “He certainly wanted to be here,” said Julien yesterday.  “We wanted him on this trip.  As you know, when you get this far, you’re a pretty close-knit group.  Our guys wanted everybody here and they’ve got it.”

Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk took Canucks’ forward Mason Raymond awkwardly into the corner boards early on in Game 6.  Boychuk got his stick between Raymond’s legs and cork-screwed the forward around and Raymond ended up hunched over and directed into the boards tail bone-first.  Raymond was almost in a wrestling pile-driver position, with the top of his head around Boychuk’s midsection.  The impact on Raymond was devastating, as the compression to his spine broke a vertebrae.  As a result, TSN.com reported last night that Raymond will miss 3-4 months.  As some called for consistency from the league in disciplinary measures – like NHL Hot Stove’s Owner and President Alex Monaghan – there was no suspension forthcoming for Boychuk.

Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis was asked yesterday about the incident.  ”I think when you see the severity of that injury, the way our doctors described it to me, very, very dangerous, and, you know, I’m always disappointed when you see any player get injured,” Gillis said somberly.  “But it wasn’t a chipped vertebrae or cracked vertebrae.  It’s broken through the belly of his vertebrae, so it’s a very serious injury.  You never want to see any player on any team have an injury like that.”

There was even an alleged finger-biting incident in Game 1 – with Alex Burrows and Patrice Bergeron – which led to a high level of animosity right off the bat.  Maxim Lapierre, Milan Lucic, and Mark Recchi antagonized their foes to the best of their abilities with fingers-in-the-face of their opponents during scrums.

As a result of the raw nature of physicality – along with the fact that each team stands in the way of the other’s respective desire to be champions – these two teams do not like each other.  Not even a little bit.

And there is no questioning that all of these factors have led to one of the most exciting Cup Finals ever.

These are the top two areas that will most-likely be the determining factors in who is hoisting Lord Stanley when all is said and done tonight:

1. Goaltending – Canucks’ net minder Roberto Luongo has had pretty much of a Jekyll and Hyde persona during the Finals.  Luongo has been awful in the games in Boston, as he was chased in two of the three contests.  He was 0-3, gave up 15 goals, and registered an atrocious .773 save percentage.  But in games in Vancouver, Luongo has been almost-impenetrable.  He is 3-0, having yielded just two goals in posting two shutouts, with a ridiculous .979 save percentage.  Thomas, on the other hand, has been unwavering in his greatness throughout the entire postseason.  With a 15-9 record, with a 2.06 GAA and .937 save percentage, the 37-year-old goalie with the unorthodox style may have clinched the Conn Smythe Trophy – whether or not the Bruins win Game 7 or not.  His performance in the Finals has only solidified that thinking, as Thomas has a 1.21 GAA and .965 save percentage in the six contests against the Canucks.


Jim Rogash / Getty Images

 

2. Home Ice Advantage – This has really been two separate series, and the outcome has been dependent on where each game has been played.  But one thing has been perfectly consistent, and that is the home team has held their serve in their home rink.  The Canucks have to be elated that the games at TD Garden have been completed.  In the three contests in Boston, the Bruins blasted Vancouver by a combined amount of 17-3.  While in Vancouver, the three games have been low-scoring, tight-checking defensive battles.  By contrast, the Canucks have outscored the Bruins at Rogers Arena by a combined count of 5-2.  It is evident that head coaches Alain Vigneault and Julien have used the last change in their respective arenas to the fullest extent.  Vigneault will have that luxury in Game 7, retaining the ability to keep his line of Burrows-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin away from Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.  Julien has split his top pairing in order to be able to have one of the two on the ice against Vancouver’s top scorers, as the two have formed solid tandems with Andrew Ference and Boychuk.  Likewise, Vigneault will be able to match his top defenders against the Bruins’ top line of Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley.  Vigneault has juggled his pairings around at times during the series, but Kevin Bieksa and Alexander Edler are set as his top duo for Game 7.

The Keys to Victory

• If Vancouver is going to win – The early stages of the game will be a huge determining factor in Luongo’s mental frame of mind.  If the Canucks’ defense can keep Boston’s attackers away from the front of the crease and get into the Bruins’ shooting lanes, the home team should be just fine.  But if Boston gets to Luongo early, Vigneault will have his hook – and Cory Schneider – at the ready.  But don’t count Luongo out.  He has proven time and time again after a rough game in the postseason that he has the make up to recover in the next contest.  Up front, the Sedins and Ryan Kesler are the major offensive catalysts for Vancouver.  Henrik Sedin’s third period power play tally in Game 6 was his first point of the series.  No doubt everyone was expecting more, and a big showing in Game 7 can be the crucial turn on the road to redemption.  Kesler was a leading Conn Smythe candidate when he carried the Canucks’ on his back when the Sedins disappeared earlier in the playoffs.  His production has tailed off greatly, and it is obvious that the regular season 40-goal scorer is battling an undisclosed injury that has tapered his effectiveness.  Any kind of contributions from the blue line would be a big lift, also.  In the previous rounds, Bieksa and Sami Salo scored some timely goals.  Having scored just 8 goals on Thomas in the 6 games, any offensive production would be welcomed in Game 7.  Supplemental scoring is crucial, and Raffi Torres, Lapierre, and Jannik Hansen are the type of players who could shine with a Game 7 spotlight shining brightly.
• If Boston is going to win – Boston would do itself a favor by getting pucks on Luongo early, and make him prove that he can once again rebound from a poor playoff outing.  Peverley has filled in nicely in Horton’s vacancy on the top line, and could be a difference-maker in the most important game in most of these player’s lives.  Recchi, who at age 43 leads all scorers in the Finals with three goals and six points, is looking for his third Stanley Cup ring.  He could be another player to watch when the Game 7 heroics come to fruition.  Chara, Ference, and Kaberle – who has recovered from a slow start – could also be threats to score from the Bruins’ blue line.  Boston must continue to clog up the neutral zone in order to keep the Vancouver transition game from gaining speed entering the Bruins’ zone.  Any time Thomas is in the crease, Boston has a good chance to win.  He’s a battler and has shown that he will fight until the bitter end.  And if he has anything to say about the final outcome, chances are that it won’t be a bitter one for the Bruins  Thomas believes past adversityand the way they pulled together will help his club tonight.  “Being down 2-0 against Montreal, going into Game 7 with Montreal, playing Tampa and being down 2-0, going into seven games,” said the Boston net minder. “ In this series, we found a way to come back (from three close losses in Vancouver).  I don’t know exactly why.  It’s a good thing and it shows the character of the team.”

Elise Amendola / Associated Press

While it will be up to Julien to prove that he is worth his salt in out-coaching Vigneault, Luongo and the Canucks are hoping that the home ice magic the teams have experienced thus far lasts for one more game.  In the Stanley Cup Finals preview posted on June 1st, I – as well as co-author Jeff Quirin – picked the Canucks to be the last team standing after a hard-fought, seven-game series.  I won’t go back on my pick, but there is no doubt that the goaltending is the true wild card for Wednesday nights epic finale.  If Thomas outplays Luongo by a wide margin once again, all bets are off.

History Will Be Made

Two records are in danger of falling in Wednesday night’s Game 7.

1. The one record that is sure to fall is most saves in one postseason by a goaltender.  Thomas tied the record of 761 (held by Vancouver’s Kirk McLean in 1994) in Game 6, and barring an illness or early game injury, Thomas is sure to set this one early in Game 7.  Incidentally, McLean’s ’94 Canucks lost in seven games in the Finals to the New York Rangers.
2. Having to go the distance with the Montreal Canadiens in the first round and with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bruins will attempt to become the first NHL team to win three Game 7′s in one playoff year.

Vancouver can’t beat the record of the 1939 Toronto Maple Leafs as the lowest-scoring club to win a championship, but they can tie it.  If Luongo can pitch a 1-0 shutout, the Canucks would tie the record of a Cup-winner scoring just nine times in a Finals series.

Who Will Win the Cup?  You Make the Call

When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman calls out the name of the Stanley Cup-winning captain – “___________, come get the Cup!” – will it be Henrik Sedin or Zdeno Chara in the blank?

Make sure to let your feelings be known in the comments section.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By Alexander Monaghan
President

There was no suspension and no penalty called on the ice. Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk finished the night with an assist, a plus-1 rating, three shots on goal and most importantly 19:31 of ice time. However, he most likely should have ended his night at the 20 second marker of the first period.

According to Gordon McIntyre of The Province, the referees explained to Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin that Mason Raymond lost an edge. After reviewing the play, you can clearly see Raymond lost an edge — at least four seconds before he got forcefully was pushed into the end-boards. The puck was nowhere near Raymond at the initial point of contact, feet off of the board —  in fact he no longer had possession of the puck prior to Boychuk actually lining him up.

Check out the video below, see if you see the same thing.

Early reports indicate Raymond will miss four to six months with a fractured vertebrae.

For those concerned with Nathan Horton and his severe concussion — not to discount that injury in any way — this injury is just as bad, if not worse. More players come back from concussions than spinal injuries, I don’t need to do the research to tell you that. Steve Moore can tell you that.

While referees, and perhaps the NHL, will tell you there was no malice on the hit you could argue the same thing about Aaron Rome‘s hit. Where as we applauded the NHL for standing up against this type of aggression with Rome, they should do the same thing with Boychuk.  Years ago, we would commend both hits as strong hockey plays, but the precedent has changed as has the speed of the game.

If players continue not thinking about their actions before contact, we may not have anyone left. The game has already lost Sidney Crosby during what could have been a momentous, record-breaking season.

This game is built on a couple of seconds, and in that time Boychuk should have realized the awkward way he was drilling Raymond into the boards was not a proper hockey play.

As usual, we leave you with a vote. Kindly vote in all fairness.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Creative Editor

There was a chance for Lord Stanley to be presented to the Vancouver Canucks for the very first time in franchise history at TD Garden on Monday night.  But with their backs pressed firmly up against the wall, the Boston Bruins came up with another huge home ice effort.  Their 5-2 victory in Game 6 forces a Game 7 back in Vancouver on Wednesday night.

“We’ve been doing that all year long,” said forward Mark Recchi.  ”We’ve played our best when we’ve been backed into a corner.”

AP Photo / Elise Amendola

Goals by Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, and Andrew Ference within a 3:04 stretch of the first period chased Vancouver starter Roberto Luongo.  After creating a media storm with comments about Boston goaltender Tim Thomas’ failure to stop Maxim Lapierre’s game-winning goal in Game 5, Luongo came up rather small.  He was only able to stop five of the eight shots he faced before being lifted in favor of Cory Schneider just 8:35 into the contest.

Schneider looked a bit rusty right away, as he mishandled a high shot and had to scramble to cover the puck on the rebound.  Shortly thereafter, Michael Ryder deflected a Tomas Kaberle point shot past Schneider and high into the net to make it a 4-0 Boston lead.

Boston set a Stanley Cup Finals record with four goals in a span of just 4:14 in the first period.

There was no scoring in the middle frame, and Henrik Sedin, David Krejci, and Lapierre scored goals in the third to set the 5-2 final.  The Henrik Sedin goal was the captain’s first point of the Finals.

Recchi, who is attempting to win the third Cup of his career, picked up three assists and now leads all scorers in the Finals with three goals and six points.

Meanwhile at the other end of the ice, Thomas was once again rock solid in the Bruins’ net.  The 37-year-old goaltender stopped 36 of 38 Canucks’ shots, and further entrenched himself as one of the couple possible choices for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the postseason.  Win or lose in Game 7 Thomas may just win the award either way, having given up just 8 goals in six Finals games as an encore after an incredible performance in the first three rounds.  He is now 15-9 in the playoffs, with a 2.05 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage.

It may not have been the smartest of strategies by Luongo to provoke Thomas and the rest of the Bruins with his comments after Game 5, and his supplemental remarks over the weekend.  After saying that he would have easily made the save on the goal that Thomas yielded on the GWG on Friday night, he followed that up over the weekend when asked about that comment.  ”I have been pumping his tires ever since the series started,” Luongo told the media.  ”I haven’t heard one nice thing he had to say about me.  That’s the way it is.”

It’s been one of the best examples of a Stanley Cup Finals where home ice advantage has meant everything to the respective teams.

In the three games in Vancouver, the Canucks have won tight, low-scoring affairs.  Vancouver has outscored the Bruins 5-2 in those three games played in British Columbia.  In the three games that have taken place in Boston, the Bruins blasted the visiting Canucks by a combined score of 17-3.

Heading back to TD Garden for Monday night’s Game 6, the Canucks were flirting with history.  Scoring just six goals in the first five games of the series, Vancouver had a real chance to break the record for least amount of goals scored by a Cup-winning team, which is nine and held by the 1939 Toronto Maple Leafs.

While he’s been incredible at home, yielding just two goals in three games (two shutouts), Luongo’s statistics in the Finals in games played in Boston are horrific – a balloon-like 8.09 GAA, and  .773 save percentage.

There is no doubt that Luongo will start Game 7.  He has been amazing on home ice in the playoffs, especially in the Finals.  He’s given up just two goals in the three games in Vancouver, recording two shutouts.  That being said, head coach Alain Vigneault will have a very short leash if Luongo gives up early goals in Game 7.

Vancouver fought hard all year long to secure home-ice throughout the playoffs, and they will need to hold serve one last time Wednesday night.

Raymond Injured

Canucks’ forward Mason Raymond was injured early in the game when he got tangled up with Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk and the two went into the boards.  Raymond was bent over and prone as his tail bone hit the dasher boards and head and neck appeared to take a compression-type hit by Boychuk’s body.

Raymond remained face-down on the ice for several minutes before skating off and into the locker room with the aid of teammates.

He was later taken out of the building on a stretcher to a local hospital.  Makes you wonder if it was a wise decision to have the winger skate off the ice.

The Cup Runneth Over:  Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa led all skaters with eight shots on goal…The Bruins had a good night on faceoffs, winning 46 of 74 (62%).  Chris Kelly went 14-19 in the faceoff circle (73.7%), Rich Peverley went 5-7 (71.4%), Patrice Bergeron 11-18 (61.1%), and Gregory Campbell 6-10 (60%)…Boston was 2-5 on the PP, the Canucks went 1-6…Schneider finished the night with 30 saves on 32 Bruins’ shots…Thomas was the Star of the Game, while Recchi was the #2 star and Ryder #3…Thomas tied Vancouver’s Kirk McLean for the record for most saves in a single postseason with 761.  Barring ilness or an off-day injury, Thomas should set the record early in Game 7…Alex Edler led all skaters with four blocked shots.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: kpwerker

Tonight, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks face the most pivotal game in their series — the dreaded elimination game. While fans back in Vancouver decide whether they want more green or more navy in their parade, the Bruins plan on deflating their floats once again.

Whether their gameplan is executed correctly is one thing, but there seems to be no lack of love between these two teams.

Following the game winning goal, enigmatic superstar starting goalie Roberto Luongo made sure to put his foot in his mouth by critiquing his counterpart, Tim Thomas‘ positioning. ”It’s not hard if you’re playing in the paint,” explained Luongo.

Perhaps attempting to invoke more emotion out of the Bruins (or not), Luongo may have awakened an angry giant in his opposition, although one would imagine it very hard for the home team not to be invigorated in a game of such importance.

These past five games have been hard fought and momentum changing. Every home game has been won but not without excitement, controversy and a throwback rivalry of two very even teams. Nothing is expected to change tonight when the Bruins try to even the series with the Stanley Cup in the building.

When asked how his team would react, top-line left wing Milan Lucic explained he expected more of the same. “A lot of excitement,” said Lucic. “A lot of emotion and a lot of hate and that’s what has made it such a passionate series to be a part of. And I don’t expect anything less tonight.” As a childhood Canuck fan, playing his hometown team sounds incredibly difficult, especially with the rumors of his apparent undisclosed injury.

The Bruins enter tonight’s game somewhat dejected from what was a very tough loss. More importantly, they enter the game one loss away from losing a very good shot at Lord Stanley’s Cup. They are in a fight for their lives and a fight to win together as a team, as defenseman Andrew Ference pointed out. “The city’s excited,” said Ference. “It’s been a long run and lots of ups and downs and crazy stuff, but obviously everybody can smell a finish coming up soon and wants us obviously to continue the story for another game.”

Everyone can smell that finish, especially the Canucks, who expect to “bring their swagger” tonight.

Their captain, Henrik Sedin, came out as a vocal leader this morning, trying to avert the attention from his goalie and put his team on his shoulder for the first time this series.

“We have to put our best game on the ice and we’re not taking any chances to play a Game 7. We can have a good team for a long time, but it’s really difficult to get this far and if we can’t do it this year, we might not get another shot. And that’s the reality.”

Somehow, Sedin after leading the League in scoring last year with 114 points and finishing fourth this season with 93 points only registered four shots on goal and is still looking for his first point of the series.  A goal or two from Henrik or brother Daniel Sedin would probably go a long way, especially if the ‘savior‘ Luongo shows up –opposed to his evil nemesis Luon8o.

Clearly, the Bruins hope to see the latter option but they will need to play their best game of the year to extend their season.

Expected Game 6 Vancouver Canucks Lineup:

• Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows
• Christopher Higgins, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond
• Raffi Torres, Maxim Lapierre, Jannik Hansen
• Tanner Glass, Manny Malhotra, Victor Oreskovich
• Alexander Edler, Sami Salo
• Andrew Alberts, Christian Ehrhoff
• Chris Tanev, Kevin Bieksa

Luongo will make his 17th consecutive start in goal tonight.

Expected Game 6 Boston Bruins Lineup*:

• Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Rich Peverley
• Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi
• Michael Ryder, Chris Kelly, Tyler Seguin
• Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton
• Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg
• Tomas Kaberle, Adam McQuaid
• Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk

Thomas will make his 24th consecutive start in goal.

Players to Watch:

Vancouver Canucks — Ryan Kesler

Last tilt we assumed he was healthy and just shut down. Now, we honestly have no idea what he will do, but the leader has his teammates’ support.

“He has been through a lot and fought through a lot,” explained Mason Raymond to Ben Kuzma of The Province. “This time of year, you lay it on the line, no matter what you’re going through and he has continued to do that.”

Can he fight through one more game?

Boston Bruins — Milan Lucic

Lucic is essentially Kesler’s equivalent: the slumping and probably hurt power forward who remained quiet most of the series.

“You’ve just got to think about a shift at time. It’s always making sure I’m getting my feet moving and skating hard. Doing that, everything else seems to take care of itself,” said Lucic to Ben Kuzma of The Province.

If he can somehow keep things simple, his team has a good chance at pulling out ahead.

Photo Credit: blipsman / Flickr

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Throughout the playoffs, every team facing the Vancouver Canucks discussed ruining their parade. As the President’s Trophy winner and frontrunner for the Stanley Cup, these guys had targets stitched above their letters: right where the NHL is trying to stop shoulder checks.

Back on May 30th, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews admitted just that to Adam Jahns of The Chicago Sun-Times:

‘‘What we could have done to ruin the parade in that city — I don’t know. I guess I shouldn’t take so much satisfaction in that, but it would have been something special, especially coming back from a 3-0 deficit [with] the expectations Vancouver has in their city with the media and all that stuff.

In the first round, his Blackhawks had the ability to stop the Canucks from advancing, yet then they watched helplessly as their rivals continued to skate through their opponents en route to the greatest trophy North America has to offer. Nevertheless, they now get an opportunity to watch the Canucks sink or swim tonight as they, for the first time since Game 1, could be down a game by the end of the night.

Before Game 3, we took the time to preview the tilt, as we have since the beginning of the Finals. The old adage — you are not in trouble in the playoffs until you lose on home ice — applied then, and more than ever it applies now. After four home-wins this series, the Canucks can win and hope they can use a raucous crowd at Rogers Arena to their advantage.

The Canucks clearly know this and understand this as evidenced by their pregame chatter. “Obviously, we do have to treat it like Game 7,” said starting goalie Roberto Luongo to Jim Jamieson of The Province. “We’ve got to treat every game in the playoffs like at Game 7.” All of their pre-game fluff will not help them when it gets to crunch time, and so far in this series’ crunch time the major players have failed show up.

Starting with Luongo, who was doubtful to play in Game 5 following his second poor start, the team looks lost from the net on out. After a four-game winning streak in which he allowed two goals or fewer, the enigmatic yet elite starting goalie surrendered 12 goals over 103:17. He needs to be better, but so does every one else.

The Sedins have combined for two points, a goal and an assist, with both coming during Game 2 off the stick of Daniel. Henrik Sedin finally managed his first two shots on goal this series after getting held shotless in his first three games but the teams still managed to get shutout. The Sedins were quiet throughout the majority of the playoffs before breaking out against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals.

However, in the past Ryan Kesler has been able to cut them some slack.  Entering this series, he looked like the shoe-in Conn Smythe winner. To get that award, you also need to show up in the Finals and over these past three games he has gotten very quiet.

These four men need to step up or their shot at the Cup will be lost in the fold. Can they do that? They will need to fight more adversity than a 117-point team usually faces all season so we are certainly entering uncharted territory.

Expected Game 5 Boston Bruins Lineup*:

• Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Rich Peverley
• Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi
• Michael Ryder, Chris Kelly, Tyler Seguin
• Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton
• Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg
• Tomas Kaberle, Adam McQuaid
• Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk

Tim Thomas will make his 23rd consecutive start in goal.

*The Bruins did not take morning skate today, so any presumed changes in the lineup will happen during warmups.

Expected Game 5 Vancouver Canucks Lineup:

• Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows
• Christopher Higgins, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond
• Raffi Torres, Maxim Lapierre, Jannik Hansen
• Tanner Glass, Manny Malhotra, Victor Oreskovich
• Alexander Edler, Sami Salo
• Andrew Alberts, Christian Ehrhoff
• Chris Tanev, Kevin Bieksa

Luongo will make his 16th consecutive start in goal tonight.

Game 4 Stat Pack:

• Thomas brings in a shutout streak of 66:07, making 40 saves over that span.
• Seidenberg, Bieksa and Edler all topped 25 minutes. All three have played upwards of 22 minutes in every games of the series.
• In every game of the series, the losing team has led in shots through two periods.
• Despite an apparent injury, Ehrhoff led both teams in shots with five. The Bs countered with Lucic’s five.
• Kesler, McQuaid and Chara all topped 10 PIM. Both teams would probably prefer their leaders out of the box and back on the ice for this game.

Players to Watch:

Vancouver Canucks — Ryan Kesler

Kesler not only needs to step up his game offensively, but stay out of the penalty box.

“I think it happened in Game 3 and we talked about it and were much better in Game 4 at getting out of the scrums,” said Kesler’s teammate Andrew Alberts to Jim Jamieson of The Province. “It’s not our game. Boston might want to build on the scrums and get a boost out of that. We’re trying to stay out of that and play hard between the whistles.”

The gritty leader registered 31 PIM over the last two games/losses.

Boston Bruins — Zdeno Chara

As usual, Chara will be tasked with guarding the power forward. Not much has been said about the hulking d-man. In fact, we don’t even have a quote from him or on him but if his team wins tonight it will be due to his hard work.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Creative Editor

Hockey players experiencing difficulties fulfilling their NHL aspirations need to look no further for inspiration to keep them going than Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.

“Anybody that knows the story of Tim Thomas, he’s taken a real bumpy road to get to the NHL,” said Boston head coach Claude Julien after Game 4 of the Finals.  “He’s had so many obstacles in front of him that he’s overcome, it makes him a battler, it makes him the perfect goaltender for our organization because that’s what we are, we’re a blue-collar team that goes out and works hard and earns every inch of the ice that you can get.”

Julien is absolutely correct.  To say the least, Thomas has not had the smoothest journey to NHL stardom.   It would have definitely sounded like utter nonsense to suggest even five years ago that the five-foot, 11-inch, 200-pound goaltender would some day have a chance at hockey immortality.

Elise Amendola / Associated Press

Yet the 37-year-old netminder is a leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the regular season, and is now just two wins away from bringing a Stanley Cup victory to Beantown for the first time since 1972.

His level of play, especially in the Stanley Cup Finals, has made the difference for the Bruins.

“He’s one of the best goalies in the league,” said Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Alain Vigneault.  “I mean, he’s up for the Vezina.  He plays his own style and he’s playing it well right now.  He’s giving his team a real good chance to win.”

But to understand the creation of a true battler, you must first understand just how hard it was for him to get to this level.

While playing at the University of Vermont, Thomas became the last goalie ever to be selected by the Quebec Nordiques.  Taken in the ninth round, 217th overall in the 1994 draft, he became an after-thought when the franchise moved and found a rebirth as the Colorado Avalanche. 

That never became more evident than when the team acquired the legendary Patrick Roy shortly thereafter.

After finishing his college career in 1997, compiling an impressive 81-43-15 record at the University of Vermont, Thomas kicked around for the better part of six years between the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), International Hockey League (IHL, which later merged with the AHL), American Hockey League (AHL), and SM-liiga (the highest-level professional league in Finland).

In August of 2002, Boston signed the then-29-year-old free agent.  The move was made under the radar and went without much mention, but it would prove to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Thomas bounced back-and-forth between Boston and Providence (AHL) in his first couple of years with the organization, and played a full year in Finland during the lockout of 2005.

Returning to the Bruins upon the resumption of NHL play, Thomas split the 2005-06 campaign between the NHL and AHL for the last time.

The 2006-07 season saw the beginning of Thomas’ time as the club’s primary starter.  Over the course of the next three years, he recorded a stellar 94-59-17 mark.

Even with such a successful period, the development of youngster Tuukka Rask appeared to be bringing about of the brief Thomas-era in Boston.

Rask took over the starting job through the second half of the 2009-10 regular season, and all of the 13 Bruins’ playoff contests. 

After Julien stuck with Rask through the entire drama of the team’s epic collapse - blowing a 3-0 lead against the Philadelphia Flyers and eventually losing the series - Rask again held the starting job as the recently-completed regular season commenced.

But the native of Flint, Michigan wrestled the starting duties away as Rask struggled early on, and the veteran would not give up his strangehold on the position.

Thomas would end the 2010-11 season with some of his best numbers ever – 35-11-9, 2.00 GAA, and a .938 save percentage.

He has not experienced any kind of a letdown in the postseason, and his numbers are very similar – 14-8, 2.11 GAA, .936 save percentage.

And his play has gotten better-and-better as Boston gets closer to the finish line.  Over the last five games he has allowed just five goals, and has stopped 165 of 170 opposition shots on goal for a staggering .971 save percentage.  He has also shut out his opponents in three of the last nine contests.

Thomas’ combative style has been on full display in the 2011 Finals against Vancouver.

In Game 3, he decked Canucks’ captain Henrik Sedin in front of his crease as Sedin was about to catch the puck and get a high-quality scoring chance in tight.

Late in Game 4 Tomas laid the lumber on forward Alex Burrows giving him a nasty whack in the legs with his goal stick.  A melee’ ensued in which Thomas ended up receiving a slashing minor.

“They’d been getting the butt end of my stick actually,” Thomas of the incident.  “They did it a couple of times on the power-play in the first period also.  I don’t know who it was, I was focused on the puck.  That was like the third time that he’d hit my butt end on that power-play.  On a six-on-four, we were up 4-0, the game was getting down toward the end, so I thought I’d give him a little love tap and let him know, I know what you’re doing, but I’m not going to let you do it forever.  So that’s all that was. It was a typical battle.”

Like Julien said, Thomas is the perfect fit for the Bruins’ blue-collar, lunch pail group of hard workers.

“The way he battles, he never quits on any pucks, even to the point where he can let a bad goal in every once in a while or a couple in a game, and you know that when the game is on the line he’s going to be standing on his head again because he battles through it.”

His spectacular ”slinky-for-a-spine” saves are very reminiscent of Dominik Hasek’s unorthodox brilliance, and have become somewhat expected when watching Thomas play.

Throw in Thomas’ mental toughness and ability to bounce back, even if he allows a soft goal, and his overall will to win, and you have the ingredients for something special. 

Even if no one took the time to notice it early in his career.

The very definition of the award on NHL.com spells it out clearly - ”The Conn Smythe Trophy is an annual award given to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs.” - and the award appears to have Thomas’ name written all over it this year.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle