By Alexander Monaghan
President

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By Orlandkurtenbach (Own work) [Public domain

Then came the surgery.

Kesler went under the knife on July 25th, going through a successful hip labral surgery. Typically a surgery of this nature keeps a hockey player out of the lineup for at least two months in the best-case scenario. The last time he had this specific surgery, he missed 72 days and likely rushed back into the lineup — those numbers would have had him back in the lineup by October 6th, able to make the team’s season opener when his Vancouver Canucks hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Yet here we are, 11 days later and Kesler is coming back, perhaps stronger than his initial return. The Canucks have not dominated due to rusty play from Roberto Luongo and all the pieces just not fitting together the same as they did last season, when the team captured the President’s Trophy. They likely are banking on the return of their second line center making those pieces fall into place.

Today, Kesler centered the second line with speedy winger Christopher Higgins playing on his left wing and his replacement Cody Hodgson finding his way onto the right side. Should Kesler not be able to take draws or need a boost, Hodgson will quickly return to his former position and help him out there. The risk statistically is relatively minimal. The only player to draw out of the lineup is dud-of-the-week Marco Sturm. The move pushes Mikael Samuelsson down to the third line with Manny Malhotra and Jannik Hansen which adds depth and scoring to the bottom lines. In theory, these roster moves and line changes should work, but they certainly come with a risk.

Yesterday, the Ohio native skated without his teammates. He skated for nearly an entire practice by himself and has yet to practice with a line until, of course, today. Yesterday he was not 100 percent, but today, apparently he miraculously recovered. Tell me if these quotes sound like he fully healed. From The White Towel:

“Obviously, I’m a competitive guy and I don’t like to see the team lose,” said Kesler. “You think about coming back sooner, but it wouldn’t be smart for me. I have to keep reminding myself to be patient and let my hip and body tell me when I’m ready and not my mind and my heart.

“It’s smart for me to take my time now and let everything heal. I’m not a guy who plays on the perimeter, I want to get in there and battle. I’m getting closer but obviously I still feel it [hip] at times out there — just certain movements I don’t feel comfortable doing yet. I’m not going to come back until I feel comfortable or I’m 100 per cent.”

So Kesler returns tomorrow, just two days after those quotes, to face the New York Rangers — the team that led the League in hits last season. He will either play a perimeter game (doubtful) or give the team everything he has. If it is the latter, one would have to wonder the long-term effect of his play, and the team’s play for that matter.

Considering they have gotten off to a somewhat sluggish start, which is sub-standard when compared to their expectations, they simply cannot afford to lose him for a significant part of the season. He was expected to be out until November — a total of 11 games, roughly 13 percent of the season — but now will only miss five, or 6 percent.

Is winning a few games today worth losing again when it matters? That question is one the team will answer over the course of the season. If they are smart they will give him some practices off, perhaps even rest him on back-to-back nights. None of that sounds very Kesler to me and the only way he will get his timing back is game action and practice.

The team is clearly toeing a very fine line by rushing him back into the lineup. So, as usual, we leave you with a question:

The New York Rangers made two trades on the second day of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, acquiring two extra draft picks. These two trades gave this young team six selections over a two-day period, helping them get even younger and moreover, restocking their cupboard. Their first four selections addressed their need for more forwards in their system as they hoped to unearth some high-end talent.

Similar to last year, this year’s top-10 became forward-heavy with only three defensemen going in the top portion of the draft. By comparison, only two blueliners — Dylan McIlrath and Erik Gudbranson — were selected in the 2010 top 10. When the Rangers came to the podium for pick number 15, most of the top forwards were already selected. However, Gordie Clark still found a player worth their time in forward J.T. Miller.

Miller, who played in the US NTDP last season, committed to University of North Dakota — a fine hockey school. Taking the college route generally gives a player longer to develop so it remains to be seen how much of a role this freshman is given next season. Regardless, Miller led the US in scoring during the U-18 WJHC despite being known for his defensive game. Sounds like his strong two-way play makes him a very safe pick.

By all accounts, Miller seems to be a hard-working player and a low-risk selection. He would fit right in with the group of blue collar forwards like Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. Miller should be a player that is difficult to play against as his work ethic made him a first round selection; he also should represent his country next season in the U-20 WJHC next season alongside college teammates Rocco Grimaldi and Derek Forbort.

His best-case scenario would make him a Ryan Kesler type but as a natural left wing he projects stronger as a useful second or third line player.

The Rangers took an incredibly safe pick with this top selection in Miller and were expected to not hold a draft choice until the fourth round as they previously traded their third rounder for Bryan McCabe. Yet they swung a trade that sent enigmatic forward Evgeni Grachev to the St. Louis Blues which replaced their third round pick.

Grachev showed glimpses of success with the OHL’s Brampton Batallion but likely benefitted more from playing with Matt Duchene and Cody Hodgson as a 19-year-old. Despite playing top-line minutes for two full seasons with the Hartford Wolfpack / Connecticut Whale, Grachev only mustered together 28 goals over two seasons. At this point in time it looks like the Russian import may never hit that high-end, 40-goal potential he displayed in Juniors but he might still make it to the NHL as a third liner. Clearly the organization felt more comfortable trading him for a pick in order to select high school center Steven Fogarty.

As a relative unknown, Fogarty comes to the team after playing for Edina, in the Minnesota High School system. Ranked 90th by Central Scouting amongst North American skaters, he plays a similar game to Miller using a larger frame to play a physical brand of hockey. At the high school level he dominated, scoring 23 goals and 40 assists. He will bring that strong, blue collar game to the University of Notre Dame this upcoming season.

Unlike the top two selections where they took American forwards, the team quickly changed the trend by selecting skaters out of the WHL.

Their fourth round pick happened to be diminutive center Michael St. Croix, who if not for his size could have been a first or second round pick. Playing in the WHL, this second-generation forward knows how to take a hit in order to make the play. For his size, he likely needs to improve on his quickness and agility but the goal-scoring touch appears to be there. To make the NHL he needs to keep producing and elude defenders without avoiding the dirty areas. At this pick, the Rangers chose a boom-or-bust candidate as he was ranked higher than Miller by The Hockey News — making him a great value at pick 106.

Similarly, the Rangers used their fifth-round pick — selection number 134 — to take another small forward out of the CHL. Using their pick acquired in the Tim Erixon deal, they took right wing Shane McColgan of the Kelowna Rockets. Unlike St. Croix, McColgan uses his speed throughout the game as he could be one of the best skaters in the entire draft. His size also does not deter him from playing in a physical league like the WHL as he gets into the dirty areas and even played hurt for most of the season. If not for his size, he could have gone in the third round but as usual the small, fall.

Bucking the trend, the Rangers moved from their high-ceiling forward selection to take a couple of defenders. While they boast one of the best young blue lines in hockey they certainly added depth and size with their next two picks.

With their own fifth round pick, the team took 6’5″ defenseman Samuel Noreau out of Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL. Known more for his physical play than his offense, Noreau registered 141 PIM which ranked him second on the team. He can get the puck on net with 61 registered shots in 67 games but will be better used protecting his teammates at either the NHL or AHL level. Taking Noreau gives the team an insurance plan should McIlrath not develop accordingly.

At that point the Rangers were out of picks but they decided to make their second trade of the day, swapping next year’s 6th round pick for the Nashville Predators‘ slot at 172. They must have seen something they wanted and presumably they got just that when they selected Peter Ceresnek, another defender with size.

Unlike Noreau, Ceresnek comes from an international background after playing in his native Czech Republic last season. Furthermore, he sees himself as more of a two-way defender opposed to just a physical presence. He represented his country in the U-18 WJHC and should do the same this upcoming season which gives him a better chance to develop, playing against higher competition. Central Scouting ranked him 35th amongst European skaters which likely put him on the Rangers’ radar way before they traded for him.

After all six selections, the team’s depth seems restocked.

Although they failed to make a huge splash they sold Grachev for the same price they paid for him and likewise did the same with their swap of 6th rounders. More importantly they followed a pattern which indicates they filled the needs they were looking for. In Miller and Fogarty they grab reliable and confident, two-way forwards with size; St. Croix and McColgan are small, boom-or-bust players with loads of skill; Noreau and Ceresnek bring them size from the blue line.

Mission accomplished. Now on to the free agency period.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Creative Editor

The despair on his face was unmistakeable. 

As he knelt on the ice and watched the Boston Bruins celebrating their 4-0 Game 7 triumph last night to claim the Stanley Cup, Vancouver Canucks’ forward Ryan Kesler could not fight back the tears.

Harry How / Getty Images

The scene was all too familiar for him.  Just as he had made it to a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the native of Livonia, Michigan had been so close to winning a Gold Medal with Team USA in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. 

That February day also ended in agony, as Sidney Crosby put an end to Kesler’s dreams of Gold with a goal in overtime to clinch the top spot on the podium for Team Canada.  Kesler and the rest of his teammates were rewarded with a Silver Medal as runner-up. 

The irony of it all is that two of the worst moments in Kesler’s hockey career – and on two completely different stages - have both come on the same ice surface at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.  And all within a 16-month span.

Building on the momentum of a career-best 41 goal regular season, the 26-year-old had been an absolute beast in the earlier rounds of this years playoffs.  In triumphs over the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and San Jose Sharks, Kesler picked up 18 points in the first 18 games on the way to the Finals. 

Not only had he been a physical force and high-number plus player, he had stepped up and carried his Canucks teammates on his back when the Sedin twins had gone M.I.A.  Scoring some highlight-reel goals – and at the most critical times of games and series – Kesler was a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the postseason.

His play against Nashville in the Western Conference Semifinals was especially noteworthy.  Kesler was a one-man wrecking crew, scoring five goals and picking up 11 points in the six-game series win.

Knowing he was one of the players on the Vancouver roster that could single-handedly beat them, a key to the Boston game plan was to hit Kesler at every opportunity and attempt to wear him down as the series progressed. 

After a huge hit in Game 2 from Bruins’ defender Andrew Ference where he remained on the ice for several seconds, it was obvious that Kesler was battling an undisclosed injury.  The explosiveness was missing from his skating stride, and he didn’t generate the amount of scoring chances against Tim Thomas that he had earlier in the postseason. 

He was not the Ryan Kesler that had been so dominant for so much of the playoffs.  He had given everything that he could during the Finals, but in his condition was only able to muster one point. 

It was a Game 1 assist, as Kesler made a beautiful play at the Bruins’ blue line to initiate the sequence of Raffi Torres’ game-winning goal with just 18.5 seconds remaining in regulation. 

Over the course of the last six contests, Kesler managed to direct 16 shots on Thomas – including six in Game 7 alone – while recording a miserable -7 rating, and uncharacteristically racking up 35 PIMs.

Even more than his injury, Kesler was pained by the Game 7 defeat.

“It’s Game 7, no excuses,” he said in his post-game press conference, still looking completely despondent.  “You’ve got to lay it out there.  I’m proud of our guys, we laid it out there.  It’s tough right now.  It’s real tough.”

The fact that he is one of the go-to guys in Vancouver was not lost on club’s first-round pick from the 2003 draft.

“I’m a leader on this team,” he said.  “I did everything I possibly could do.  I can hold my head up high, but it hurts.  It hurts right now.”

Kesler respects his opponent and realizes that maybe the Canucks’ best opportunity to claim Lord Stanley wasn’t in Game 7, but possibly in the previous contest.

“They’re a good team, they didn’t get here by chance,” he said of the Bruins.  “We had a chance to put them away in their building and we didn’t.”

Having made it to the Finals ensures a shorter summer before the next season commences.  Kesler and his Vancouver teammates can take solace in the fact that they made it to the furthest point in the postseason without actually winning the Cup.

But the knowledge of just how close he and the rest of the Canucks were to tasting the ultimate thrill of victory will also likely haunt Kesler’s every waking moment until training camp rolls around again – on Rogers Arena ice.

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

Tonight, the Boston Bruins hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972, turning Beantown back into a hockeytown.

Bostonians can now bask in the fact that their four franchises all earned the highest honors in their respective sports in the shortest time period. In short, the city has bragging rights.

When the series first began, we wondered how this Bruins team would react to such a powerhouse in the Vancouver Canucks as the latter was fresh off an impressive and decisive Western Conference Finals victory over the San Jose Sharks, taking the matchup in the only five games.

Meanwhile, the Bruins were just this same, blue collar team. They fought hard against the Montreal Canadiens, dominated a Pronger-less Philadelphia Flyers and snuck by a cinderella story in the Tampa Bay Lightning, stealing their identity with Nathan Horton‘s Game 7, overtime game winner. If you were to ask me, I thought they were out of the playoffs in each respective series but clearly what do I know.

As an up-and-down team during the regular season, this group seemed to win the Northeast Division by default. The Canadiens struggled down the stretch due to their beat-up blue line. Their only other competition, the Buffalo Sabres, needed to be one of the best teams in hockey just to make the show. Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators improved later into the season but still finished in the bottom-10 in overall standings.

To say the least, this team became an underdog despite their high seeding and Vezina/Norris Trophy finalists.

We know they were not expected to win. However, what we are more concerned about is explaining exactly why this Bruins team actually won this series when most pundits put them out of the Cup in six or seven. Instead of breaking out the tape and analyzing this series in a game-by-game basis we found ten solid reasons why this team takes possession of Lord Stanley’s goblet and 29 other teams regroup for another grueling season.

Without further ado, we bring you a plethora of reasons why one team came away victorious.

1. Tim Thomas. Thomas was an absolute rock. He never allowed more than three goals, and never allowed more than two in regulation. When all the media focused on the struggles of Roberto Luongo and how he would handle the pressure, Thomas once again took control of the game and ultimately took home the Cup. He carried a very strong, record breaking season into the playoffs and never looked back. When anyone doubted him, or attempted to pump his tires he never looked back. With his back up against the wall, he stopped the last 73 of 75 shots, winning both games including a 37-save Game 7 shutout. There is absolutely no chance he would not have won the Conn Smythe as the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP.
2. Motivation. Horton left the series early into Game 3. As their most clutch performer, the team clearly needed him as he scored the game winner in two Game 7 overtime wins. Although he would not return to the series, the team hoisted the motto of “Do it for Horton.” The first-year playoff performer served as a motivator, showing up for Game 6 and then pouring water from the TD Garden ice onto the ice in the Rogers Arena prior to Game 7. The hit served as the turning point of the series as Aaron Rome used too much force to injure a player while his team was up in the series 2-0, changing the momentum as a result.
3. Physical Play. Dan Hamhuis got knocked out of the series after playing only 8:09 in Game 1. Mason Raymond left in Game 6 and may never skate the same again. The walking wounded of Christian Ehrhoff, Ryan Kesler and Alexander Edler were all consistently pounded to the point where they were rendered ineffective. Rome tried to answer their physicality but wound out missing the rest of the playoffs.
4. Efficient defense. The top defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg not only shut down their opponent’s top line, they also improved their teammates’ games by doing so. Johnny Boychuk and Andrew Ference played excellent hockey on both end of the ice mainly due to their team-low quality of competition in 5×5 situations. Additionally, they also displayed much better zone rate finishes, making what should have been a weakness in a third pairing into a strength.
5. Primary Scoring. David Krejci finished the playoffs as the points leader with 23 during the 2011 NHL Playoffs. His chemistry with winger Milan Lucic allowed Michael Ryder and eventually Rich Peverley to continue to contribute in the offensive zone, quietly outplaying some of the best players in the League.
6. Secondary Scoring. Just like the Krejci line, the secondary scoring was just better. Most of the talk surrounded Kesler as the firepower on Vancouver but the second line with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi stepped up in time of need. The troika combined for an even more impressive four goals and six points in Game 7, leading their team to the Cup.
7. Forechecking. When the team was able to establish their forecheck, they created all kinds of problems for The Sedin Twins, Alex Burrows and Kesler not to mention the defense. They forced turnovers, took advantage of bad line changes and put pucks behind Luongo before he ever saw them coming.  Combined with their physical play, the Bruins used their cumulative team speed to out-work and simply out-play their opponents.
8. Discipline. Unlike the Canucks, the Bruins never seemed flustered. They rarely took bad penalties and honestly head coach Claude Julien would not allow it. They maintained their focus throughout the series, allowing the Canucks to play themselves out of the series due to frustration and simply not being the better team.
9. Perseverence. Down 2-0 in the series, they won two straight. Down 3-2 in the series, they sweep a series of two. They came back from their initial series 2-0. These guys were the ultimate comeback kids, never down and out.
10. Leadership. Neither team held a great deal of experience but keeping both Recchi and enforcer Shawn Thornton in the lineup helped the younger group gain confidence. Since his return in Game 3, Thornton acted as a voal leader for the rest of the series, taking a good deal of interviews after the game and showing his love for the city of Boston. These two in addition to seasoned veterans like the captain Chara gave this team a winning direction and identity.

These grouling playoffs are over. Congratulations to the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. You guys earned it and should be ready to defend that title in a few months.

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

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

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