Let’s leave the “What’s wrong with the Detroit Red Wings?” question at the door right now before we even start. That’s another article completely.

Many Red Wings fans were given good news on Halloween when the turned on their computers and went online and/or opened up the sports section of a newspaper and saw that Ken Holland worked his magic again:

Niklas Kronwall remains a Red Wings defenseman for seven more years.

And why wouldn’t he? He was given the title of “Alternate Captain” this season, swapping out with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings need that physical kind of force on their ranks, and keeping Kronwall around is a smart move. Plus, with Nicklas Lidstrom on his way out at some point in the future, the team needs some defensemen on which they can rely and not have to worry about re-signing every other year.

Kronwall signed for seven years, $33.25 million; at thirty years of age, this lengthy contract pretty much guarantees he’ll be wearing a Winged Wheel for his entire career, unless otherwise traded. His contract gets a little tricky. The salary cap hit will be $4.75 million, but the breakdown is more intricate than that (naturally).

2012-13 sees him making $4.25 million. The following three seasons, he ears $6 million, then $5.5 million in 2016-17, and the last two years of his contract will be $3.5 million and $1.75million.

Kronwall will earn $4.25 million in 2012-13 and $6 million in each of the next three seasons. He’ll make $5.5 million in 2016-17 and $3.5 million and $1.75 million, respectively, the final two years of the deal.

With a cap hit of $4.25 million, it puts him in the same ranks as Chris Pronger, Kevin Bieksa, Mike Komisarek, Dan Hamhuis, Jack Johnson, and Tomas Kaberle, to name only a handful.

So how does Niklas Kronwall compare statistically with these other defensemen?

Firstly, he’s always been fairly prone to lengthy injuries (one to two months of the season); the 2008-2009 season only saw him missing two games and getting 51 points and 50 PIMs. 2010-11, he only missed five games and hit 47 points and 36 PIMs. Twelve games into the season, he has two goals and two assists, though let’s not forget the Red Wings went through a six-game slump of only scoring six goals total.

Now let’s compare these stats to some of the previously mentioned defensemen. Kronwall’s stats are fairly similar to Pronger’s, if you can believe it. However, Pronger has come close in several recent seasons to hitting sixty points whereas Kronwall still struggles to hit fifty. Last season, Pronger only played fifty games, but still scraped up 25 points, almost identical to Kronwall’s 48 game, 22-point season.

Against a player like Bieksa, Kronwall has more offensive output (and a lot fewer penalties), with Bieksa’s highest offensive season coming in 2008-9 with 43 points. The same goes with comparing him to Komisarek and Hamhuis.

Kronwall is also pretty identical to Jack Johnson, both in offensive output and penalties. They both get around 35 to 45 points per season and hit somewhere around 40 PIMS.

His comparison to Kaberle is very similar to that of Pronger. Kaberle hits anywhere between forty and sixty points per season while keeping his penalties to a minumum. One thing is for sure, Kaberle really hasn’t missed a majority of a season like Kronwall has in the past. But if the Swede can stay healthy and aggressive, anything is possible.

Now after comparing all of these stats, would you find it strange to compare Kronwall’s output to Pronger’s output? People usually rank Pronger up there with Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, and Shea Weber, but Kronwall gets lost in the mix, and is usually only known for his bone-crunching hits. Well, it all started from the scouting level…

As Hakan Andersson, the director of European scouting for the Red Wings, once said, “I know one scout who tried to bring up Niklas Kronwall’s name with his team. They just laughed at him. They never even had a serious dialogue. They just stopped him. They said ‘a 5-11 Swedish defenceman?’ [The Red Wings] organization is more open-minded than that.”

But the Red Wings like their players to be under the radar and overlooked.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

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 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.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: Mafue / Flickr

Make no mistake, this series is all about the goalies. It always has been and that fact will not change after three shutouts through five games.

Tim Thomas looks like a candidate to win both the Vezina Trophy and the Conn Smythe while Roberto Luongo is well, himself. Tonight, the enigmatically talented Luongo stopped 31 shots, earning his second shutout of the Stanley Cup Finals and putting his Vancouver Canucks within one win of the Cup. It will be waiting in Boston as will the Boston Bruins with an entire city out west ready for a parade, home ice advantage or not.

After tonight’s win, head coach Alain Vigneault had nothing but nice things to say about the goalies. “Both goaltenders were just amazing, it was a great hockey game.  They weren’t giving up anything, the puck got over the line by a couple of inches.”

Their combined 55 saves certainly won’t shatter any records but it was good enough to earn the first and second stars of the game. The third star would of course be that aforementioned goal scorer, Maxim Lapierre, who along with Alex Burrows drew attention earlier in the game with his pesky battle tactics. However, at this time of the year we doubt any of these three warriors care about personal accolades. Instead, they focused on winning and for Luongo, that focus paid off.

Luongo received the most scrutiny of any member of the Canucks’ team despite shedding the captaincy before the season began. Nevertheless he re-established himself as a leader for his team. When asked about his starter, Vigneault had nothing but confidence in his selection.

“Everybody in our dressing room and around our organization know Roberto’s character and his competitiveness and how he prepares himself,” explained Vigneault. “He he went out to tonight and played a great game for us.”

When questioned on his starting goalies’ resiliency, Vigneault continued to defend his superstar, passing the blame to the entire roster and not just the man who struggled for both games in Boston.

“I think at the end of the day the two games in Boston, a lot of tension was put on Roberto but it was the whole group. This is a team game and our whole group had two good first periods and for whatever reason in the second period we didn’t play well.  They took advantage of it and they took it [the series] from us. Tonight, we had some penalties to kill in the first and he [Luongo] had some huge saves and we wanted to make sure we played a better second period. I thought we took the play in the second period.”

The second period tonight helped keep the momentum on the Canucks’ side but neither team were really able to generate too much offense. The goaltending was solid as was the defense.

While all this talk remains focused on the crease, the skaters insulating their starting goalies should get a commendation as the Canucks’ defenders blocked 10 shots and were credited with 19 hits — led by a huge 10-hit game from Alexander Edler. After getting silenced for the two games in Boston, the blue line re-established their game and were able to assist Luongo throughout the tilt.

Vigneault chose to switch his defensive pairings numerous times in the playoffs but he seems to have found his top pairing in Kevin Bieksa and the physical Edler. The two have played on the same team for five years but never truly paired together until now. As the most physical and likely healthiest duo, they quickly established chemistry and provided the team with a true top pairing which shut down the top line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Rich Peverley. That same top pairing also was on the ice for the only goal of the game.

Perhaps more importantly, Vigneault chose earlier in the day to bench the inconsistent Keith Ballard in favor of rookie Chris Tanev, which provided the defense with a poised and confident player.  After the game, Bieksa joked that Tanev could “have played with a cigarette in his mouth.”

“Everytime we needed him [Tanev] this year, he has shown a lot of poise and can take a hit to make a play and move the puck real well. I was confident that putting him and putting him in with Andrew [Alberts] would work out real well,” said Vigneault.

The goalie worked, the defense worked and the offense squeaked by.

Most importantly, this Canucks team won the game their way. They played a tight defensive game, one that relied on their skill and depth. The top-4 defenders were able to set the tone with their physical play and Lapierre and Burrows provided the distraction.  This theme of home-ice advantage continues as the series wears on and as we have explained before, the Bruins literally are not in trouble until they lose on home ice.

Now, the Bostonians need to go back to Boston and rest for what should be an electric Game 6. Canucks’ fans are hoping their team can steal one game in Boston, capturing the Cup for the first time in 40 years but every historic indicator points to a need for seven games.

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

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

If the Boston Bruins go on to win the Stanley Cup, there is little doubt who would be the Conn Smythe Trophy-winner.  Goaltender Tim Thomas made 38 saves in shutting out the Vancouver Canucks, 4-0, knotting the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

Elsa / Getty Images

It now essentially becomes a best-of-three game set for the right to lift Cup.

The Vezina Trophy-candidate has been almost impenetrable in the last five contests, yielding just five goals and picking up two shutouts.  In those five games, the 37-year-old native of Flint, Michigan has stopped 165 of 170 shots sent his direction – for a mind-numbing .971 save percentage.

Wednesday’s whitewashing of the Canucks was Thomas’ third shutout of the postseason.

“He’s one of the best goalies in the league,” said Vancouver 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.”

“Well, he’s obviously one of the few goaltenders in the NHL that plays that way,” said the Canucks’ coach when asked if Thomas’ unorthodox style was disrupting his club’s attack.  “But his numbers are great.  He has also in the past, for whatever reason, given up quite a few goals on certain occasions.  He hasn’t done that yet. Obviously, we’re maybe responsible partly for that.  We haven’t done a good job of getting to the net, getting the screens.  We’re going to talk about that tomorrow and see if we can’t fix it.”

Boston head coach Claude Julien said Thomas is the perfect fit for his team.

“It’s indicative of the way he’s had to battle to get here, number one,” the Bruins’ coach said after last night’s performance.  “Anybody that knows the story of Tim Thomas, he’s taken a real bumpy road to get to the NHL.  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 continued.  “Tim fits well in regards to that.  Again, 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.”

Whipping the Crowd into a Frenzy

Before Game 4 even started, the TD Garden crowd was electric.  With the legend himself, Number Four, Bobby Orr waving a flag with fallen hero Nathan Horton’s name and number 18 on it, the Bruins were well-prepared for the pending battle.

The Goals

It was all Boston on the scoreboard Wednesday night, and Rich Peverley got things started midway through the first period.  As David Krejci was carrying the puck through center ice along the right wing boards, he nearly lost control of the disc.  He lunged forward and poked a pass through two Vancouver players, springing Peverley in all alone on starting goaltender Roberto Luongo.  Peverley cut in on the beleaguered netminder and sent a shot through Luongo’s five-hole for a 1-0 Bruins’ lead.  Luongo appeared to be looking for Peverley to make a move to the backhand, but the Boston center instead snapped the puck theough his legs.

Still nursing the 1-0 lead midway through the middle stanza, Michael Ryder accepted a pass heading into the Canucks’ zone along the left wing.  As he moved into the zone, Alex Edler closed on him.  Ryder snapped a shot from the top of the left circle, and the puck deflected off of Edler’s stick.  The shot sailed past Luongo’s glove hand and high into the net, and Boston held a 2-0 lead.

Just over two minutes later, the Bruins were able to increase their lead yet again.  The goal was a hallmark Boston Bruins tally, marked by dogged determination on the forecheck and intense pressure put on the puck-carriers.  Patrice Bergeron poked the puck from behind the Vancouver cage, past Keith Ballard and onto the stick of Brad Marchand.  As Daniel Sedin closed on the Boston rookie in front of Luongo, Marchand’s shot deflected off of Sedin’s stick and deflected high into the net over Luongo’s glove for the 3-0 margin.

Early in the third period, the Bruins would make it a 4-0 game.  Milan Lucic rumbled down the right wing, and Kevin Bieksa cut over to take him off the puck.  As Bieksa made the move to drive Lucic out of the play, Lucic made an outside-inside move on the Vancouver defender.  As Bieksa sent himself careening into the boards, Lucic carried the puck towards Luongo and the Canucks’ net.  As the play became a two-on-one, Lucic flipped a pass across the crease in an attempt to hit Peverley.  Luongo anticipated the pass and deflected it with his stick.  But the puck hit Peverley in the hip and caromed past Luongo and into the Canucks’s goal, and the rout was on.

Luongo was immediately pulled in favor of backup Cory Schneider.

Julien spoke about what Peverley has brought to his club since being acquired from the Atlanta Thrashers in February.

“We obviously had to make some deals at the end, obviously balance the cap situation,” the coach said.  “We needed some depth.  He was certainly one of the guys that was targeted obviously in those deals.  We just felt like his versatility, whether he plays wing or center, he has speed, we wanted to improve that area of our game.”

“We’ve used him on the power-play, we’ve used him on the penalty killing units,” Julien continued.  ”He moved up on the Horton spot and moved well.  He comes to play every day.  He’s a very serious athlete, takes good care of himself. Right now he’s being rewarded.  I know he’s been through some tough years where he hasn’t played in the playoffs. But certainly he’s been a guy that’s certainly enjoying the moment and giving us what we need.”

In the Other Net

Thomas is winning the battle of the goalies in this series.  While he has been a wall in front of the Boston goal, Luongo has faltered heavily in the past two contests.  In the two games in Boston, he yielded 12 goals on 58 shots  - a lackluster .793 save percentage.

Vigneault has taken criticism for not yanking Luongo in the latter stages of Game 3, as the goals allowed may have played mind games with the goaltender.  Now he has a difficult decision to make as to which goalie will be between the pipes for Game 5 when the series shifts back to Vancouver.

Schneider stopped all nine shots he faced in 15:45 of play in the third period.

“Louis (Luongo) is going to be fine,” Vigneault said assuredly.  “He’s one of the best goaltenders in the league.  We’ve got a lot of trust and faith in him, in his ability to play well.”

The Special Teams

Prior to the Finals beginning, many predicted that special teams would play a huge part in the series.  The prevailing thought was that the lethal Vancouver power play would dominate the Bruins, and Boston’s PP was struggling mightily.

But through the first four games, the Canucks special teams units have been badly outplayed.  The Canucks are just 1-22 (4.5%) for the series, and they have yielded two shorthanded goals, also.  The Bruins are 3-17 (18%) with the man advantage, much better than their first three rounds.

Calling Cards

With 2:27 left in regulation and a delayed penalty coming to Marchand, Daniel Sedin went to check Marchand behind the Boston net.  The rookie winger ducked down, effectively low-bridging Sedin into the boards in a cartwheeling fashion.

Vancouver defenseman Ballard, seeing his first action in the series with the injury to Dan Hamhuis and suspension to Aaron Rome, dropped the gloves with Marchand in defense of his sniping winger.

Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid looked for a willing dance partner and ended up with a 10-minute misconduct.

When that mess was cleaned up, play resumed with a Canucks power play and Schneider pulled for an extra attacker.  Shortly thereafter, Alex Burrows hacked the goal stick out of the right hand of Thomas, and when Thomas regained his lumber, he used it to full advantage.  Thomas took a whack at Burrows’ legs that would have made Ron Hextall proud, and the chippy winger turned and engaged the Bruins’ netminder.

“They’d been getting the butt end of my stick actually,” Thomas said after the game.  “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.”

And that is just what Thomas loves, a good battle.

Looking Ahead to Game 5

As the teams head back to Vancouver, the Canucks are reeling.  Once with a commanding 2-0 series lead the wheels are coming off the Blue-and-Green machine, and the Bruins have all the momentum.  With Thomas on a roll and Vancouver’s best players not performing up to par, Boston seem to control their own destiny.

The Canucks have many question marks, none more pressing than the defense in front of Luongo – and the goaltender himself.  Vancouver is totally off their game and are not doing any of the things that hell bring them success.  They are not skating, they are not hitting the Bruins’ line with any speed, and they are not playing with any kind of desperation or urgency.

Boston has picked up the level of every part of their game, and have used their physical presence to perfection in dictating play.

“I think we’ve got to bring our game with us (to Vancouver),” said Julien looking forward.  “Simple as that.  We have to bring our game.  That has to continue in Vancouver.  It doesn’t matter where you are, you got to play the same way whether you’re at home or on the road.”

Thomas was asked how the team was able to recover from the two close losses in Vancouver.

“We learned the lessons throughout the season that you have to put like the games that we lost behind you,” Thomas said.  ”I think we did a good job between Game 2 and 3 in that.  I think actually we did a good job of that between Game 3 and 4.  Just because we won Game 3 didn’t mean we were going to go out there and have it be a cakewalk, and it wasn’t.  I think that’s one of the things we’ve done.”

The goaltender continued in the thought.  “But every time this year that we’ve faced adversity as a team, we’ve rose to the challenge.  We needed to do it one more time because we were down 2-0.  Now we’ve done that for two games. The challenge for us will be to keep doing that.”

The Cup Runneth Over:  Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff led Vancouver with seven shots on goal and five blocked shots…The Canucks were 7-2 in the playoffs with Ballard in the lineup coming into Game 4, but he was a -2 in his first game back in the lineup and did not look alert or up to speed…The Sedin Twins had a combined three shots on Thomas, and were collectively a -3…Ryan Kesler, a Conn Smythe Trophy-candidate through the first three rounds, continued to struggle.  He finished a -1 with three shots on goal.  Kesler continues to look like the collision he had with Johnny Boychuk in Game 2 may have hurt him, and specifically his back area.  Kesler did go 15-24 (62.5%) on faceoffs…Maxim Lapierre was 9-12 (75%) in the faceoff circle…Lucic led Boston shooters with five shots on goal, and Boychuk and McQuaid tied for the lead in blocked shots with three apiece…Vancouver won 39-71 total faceoffs…The Canucks again outshot the Bruins, 38-29…Both teams failed to score on the PP; Vancouver 0-5, Boston 0-4…Thomas was once again the Star of the Game, with Peverley the #2, and Zdeno Chara #3…The Bruins did themselves holding a large lead for much of the night once again, as they were able to hold off on playing Chara and Dennis Seidenberg too much.  With the duo seeing nearly 30 minutes of ice time in many of their postseason tilts, Seidenberg saw just 25:48, and Chara 24:44.  This should work in Boston’s favor, as both should be much fresher as the series moves to its latter stages.

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

Photo Credit: Mafue / Flickr

The title says it all.

The Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins need to settle down and once again play some hockey. The home team showed up on Monday night when they lambasted the Canucks 8-1 and so did distraction, frustration on the Vancouver side in addition to the budding of a beautiful rivalry.

Tonight, it will have to be all about playing the game and moving closer to fulfilling one’s NHL destiny.

“It’s certainly not about looking for revenge. Justice has been served,” head coach Claude Julien explained to Fluto Shinzawa of Boston.com. “No other reason to look for more. If we really want to make Nathan happy, we know what we have to do. That’s win a Stanley Cup.”

Could not have said it any better myself. With Monday night’s win, the Bruins can now taste the Cup and have every intention of making a series out of this. Falling behind in a series is no big deal for them as they did the same thing in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens and scraped through every game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This team has been left for dead before and seems completely comfortable battling back in time of need.

On that note, the Canucks need to battle back and #bringithome with a 3-1 series lead. All of this talk concerning suspensions, line changes, taunts, positioning, etc. needs to get benched with the team returning their focus to what got them where they are: winning.

Captain Henrik Sedin knows this, as he clearly explained to Ed Willes of The Province. “We have to realize our focus is to play hockey. That’s No.1. That’s something we’ve brought up already and we’re going to give that a lot of attention.” After the Bruins exploded for four second-period goals, the Canucks lost this focus and frustration set in.

Both Sedin, head coach Alain Vigneault and likely the rest of the team know this. “We’ve been a team that’s been very disciplined all year playing whistle to whistle,” said Vigneault. “I think we might have gotten away from that a little. We’re going to have to do a better job there.” One can only expect a better effort than allowing eight goals from the President’s Trophy winner.

The question now remains: can the Canucks win and send the series back home with a decisive lead or will the Bruins keep an emphasis on home-ice advantage?

Expected Game 4 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
• Keith Ballard / Chris Tanev, Kevin Bieksa

Roberto Luongo will make his 15th consecutive start in goal tonight.

Expected Game 4 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 22nd consecutive start in goal.

*Seguin, Peverley and Ryder are all expected to rotate into the first line right wing position.

Rookie Jordan Caron will take warmups tonight but is not expected to draw in. The youngster Caron took Recchi’s spot on the second line during practice as the veteran often opts to not skate on game day.

Game 3 Stat Pack:

• Four Bruins registered over 10 PIM — Ference, Thornton, Lucic and Seidenberg. The Canucks countered that with five of their own to top 10 PIM in Bieksa, Rome, D. Sedin, Kesler and Burrows. Somehow, Lapierre finished without even a roughing call.
• Edler led the Canucks with a team-high minus-4 rating. My namesake has never finished a game with a minus-4 rating in his entire NHL regular season and postseason career.
• Ehrhoff led the ‘Nucks in minutes played with 27:53. Seidenberg took the minutes-eater title for the Bs, playing in 24:34 — Bieksa and Edler also topped these minutes as the team was forced to play with five d-men.
• For the third time in as many games, the losing team led the game in shots through two periods.
• H. Sedin still has no shots on goal. He might have got one off but was leveled by Thomas, click here for video.

Players to Watch:

Vancouver Canucks — Roberto Luongo

David Strehle put all the focus on Luongo here. Literally, watch him, as he formerly held the title of unraveling.

“The score doesn’t really matter. We’re in the playoffs.  It’s all about winning a game, right?  As a team, we got to look at it we lost a game.  We just got to get back to doing the things we do.  No matter what the score of the game is, we have to keep playing our game, not deviate from our game plan.”

Winning is all Luongo needs to do. Just win tonight and again in Vancouver on Friday. The talent is clearly there but will he be able to accomplish hockey’s greatest task?

Boston Bruins — First line RW

As usual, Julien will play his cards close to his chest.

“You never know what can happen through the course of the day,” said Julien to The Boston Herald.

We like Ryder in this spot provided he can stay hot. If the game remains close, expect Peverley to get more minutes there. Seguin could start out the game on the top line and provide the team with some youthful pep. Honestly, who knows with Julien.

–

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at amonaghan at nhlhotstove  dot com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @NHLHotStove or like us on Facebook, here.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: Dan4th / Flickr

An old hockey adage applies tonight: you are not in trouble until you lose on home ice. Tonight, the Boston Bruins hope to avoid that home loss and keep their hopes alive in capturing their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

Following Saturday’s controversial finish — Should Tim Thomas have stayed further back in his net? Should Alex Burrows been allowed to play? — the Boston Bruins managed to stay with their newly-found rival in the Vancouver Canucks, getting slightly edged 3-2 in Game 2. That loss followed Wednesday’s disappointing 1-0 finish from Game 1.

Tonight will be the biggest test for them since if they lose, they will face elimination on home ice against arguably the best regular season team and now the best postseason team.

After leading the majority of their playoff series’, the Canucks have had trouble showing their killer instinct. They almost allowed the Chicago Blackhawks to defeat them yet again following a 3-0 series lead. They allowed the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks to sway their series after taking bigger leads but generally have improved as the playoffs went further.

Tonight, they know they will need to show that killer instinct in true form.

“I think it’s pretty much normal human behaviour,” said second line winger Christopher Higgins to Tony Gallagher of The Province. “I think it’s natural when the other team has the crowd to get them going.”

Playing away from Vancouver should help the Bruins regain some confidence after coming home down two games. The Canucks and their staff clearly know that and are getting ready to do battle.

“The first 10 minutes will be crucial for us tonight,” said Canucks assistant coach Rick Bowness. “We have to be ready to match their intensity.”

Expect the Canucks to be ready tonight, when they drop the puck at TD Banknorth Garden at approximately 8PM, EST.

Expected Game 3 Vancouver Canucks Lineup:

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

Luongo will make his 14th consecutive start in goal tonight.

Expected Game 3 Boston Bruins Lineup*:

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

Despite his overtime blunder, expect Thomas to make his 21st consecutive start in goal.

*According to John Bishop of Bruins.com, via Twitter, “Julien says any lineup decisions will be made after 23 B’s skate in warmup.” Keep that in mind when reading the lines above as they may change completely.

Game 2 Stat Pack:

• Chara led the Bruins in ice time, playing 28:12 while Edler led the Canucks with 24:53. The Canucks continue to alternate their top guys in the minute-eater role while the Bs heavily rely on their captain and his partner Seidenberg.
• In his 2011 Stanley Cup Finals debut, Alberts led all players with six hits.
• After his miraculous comeback, Malhotra helped his team by winning 85.7 percent of his draws edging out Peverley, who finished with 80 percent in the circles.
• Boston once again out-shot the Canucks through two periods but only managed five shots on goal after taking a 2-1 lead in the tilt.
• Luongo now finds himself on a four-game winning streak in which he has allowed only six goals and two goals or less over that span. He has also played over 60 minutes in five of his 20 playoff appearances.

Players to Watch:

Vancouver Canucks – Henrik Sedin

You probably expected the controversial Burrows here but Sedin will need to step up in the faceoff circle for his team to silence the home crowd. In his last game, Sedin managed to lose 10 of 19 draws, requiring Head Coach Alain Vigneault to single him out.

From The Province:

“The ony guy who has been having issues in the faceoff circle is Hank (Sedin). All the other guys have been fairly close to their normal percentage. Hank’s aware of that. So hopefully we’ll have Hank be a little better tonight. He takes a lot of draws in the other team’s end. Obviously we’d like to start with the puck, instead of chasing in that end.”

Expect Sedin to step up his game in the faceoff dots.

Boston Bruins – Patrice Bergeron

After getting taunted by former Montreal Canadiens agitator Maxim Lapierre, Bergeron must react to the Canucks getting under his skin. Head Coach Claude Julien had some choice words on how he viewed Lapierre’s actions:

“If it’s acceptable for them, then so be it,” Julien said to Fluto Shinzawa of Boston.com. “It certainly wouldn’t be acceptable on our end of it. The NHL rules on something. If they decide to make a mockery of it, that’s totally up to them. If that’s their way of handling things, so be it.”

Will Bergeron make a mockery of Lapierre tonight?

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