Here We Go:
In the 90’s both the Bruins and the Canucks made their last Stanley Cup Final appearance watching the Oilers and Rangers raise the cup over their heads and celebrating. While one of them will still have that feeling the other will take the monkey off their back. The Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins will be facing off in what should be a very solid series. History has shown that both Boston and Vancouver have had rocky roads to get to this point.
Both have similarities in the fact that they both possess very deep rosters which got them to this point and goaltenders who both have put their respective team on their backs at times. That is especially true through their 1st round scares, as both teams were on the brink of elimination in Overtime in game 7 of their respective quarterfinal matchups versus the Blackhawks and Habs, but were able to get through.
What’s amazing about the Boston Bruins is that as deep as their roster is on D and on offense they do not have the services of Marc Savard, remember him? How about the Vancouver Canucks their roster has suffered through a lot of injuries on their blueline but have still managed to perform at a high level. But with everyone pretty much at full health the Canucks went from 7 to 6 to 5 games in consecutive rounds becoming much more lethal. While the Bruins after their 1st round scare looked perfect versus the Philly Flyers sweeping them in 4 they once again went 7 games this time against the young upstart Tampa Bay Lightning. Will the long layoff for the Canucks be an advantage in the end or will the momentum of the Bruins win it for them.
Key to the Series:
Jonathan: There are several keys to these series:
Bruins Powerplay – To me this is THE KEY to the series. At 8.2% the Bruins possess a PP that is only better than 2 teams that have already been eliminated. Having a deep roster like they do but not being able to capitalize on man advantages has been really mind boggling hence why two of their series went 7 games. And with a tough Canucks D to contend with, it won’t get any easier.
Roberto Luongo vs Tim Thomas
Both are Vezina trophy candidates, both are A+ goaltenders and have saved their teams from extinction during the 1st round. It’ll basically come down to who will blink first as both are as sharp as a knife.
Zdeno Chara vs Roberto Luongo
Remember when the Canucks were eliminated by the Blackhawks twice in a row in 2009 and 2010, Luongo faced a brick wall that he couldn’t go over in the form of 6’6 Dustin Byfuglien. The Bruins need to take note of that and use 6’9 Zdeno Chara to park big frame in front of Roberto Luongo so that the Bruins can set up their offense easily which would help them on the PP as well.
Chris:
The Sedin Twins
You know the saying twin telepathy? I think the Sedin's might need it to get past Tim Thomas. If they aren't on there game, that just puts a lot more pressure on the rest of the Canuck's offense, and while they are good, I think Tim Thomas can be even better. Not only will the Sedin's have to be offense leaders, but they will have to be team leaders overall. Guys can get discouraged when you played great hockey and consistently get robbed by a goalie. Daniel and Henrik with have to keep their team enlightened and positive if they want to beat Thomas.
Key Player:
Jonathan:
Bruins: Patrice Bergeron – Mr everything is having a solid playoff and is using the experience he gained from the Olympics in 2010 to produce at the level he is doing today. However he has to contend with solid faceoff centers in Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and a possible return of Manny Maholtra. Also it won’t be easy for him to get through the suffocating D of the Canucks so he’ll have to take his game up a notch in order for the Bruins to win the Cup.
Canucks: Ryan Kesler – Mr everything (sound familiar) is coming back from an injury suffered in the game 5 clincher of the Western Conference finals versus the Sharks. Question is did the layoff help him gain his strength back? As well he’s got several things to contend with number 1 being Zdeno Chara hovering around him and Tim Thomas who at times has seem to be unstoppable.
Chris: Roberto Luongo. Roberto will be key for both teams, obviously on one end not letting pucks in, and on the other end, the Bruins want him to let pucks in. Luongo has been very hit or miss this off season and people have come to question him. Now there is no better place to prove himself than in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Predictions:
Jonathan: Canucks in 6
It’s a fact that Tim Thomas will steal games because well he’s just unreal. And although the Bruins have a solid core the Canucks are playing at an amazing level. As I stated before if the Bruins do not capitalize on their man advantages then Canucks will be winning by 3 or 4 goals every game. With the motivation of seeing Canada’s Gold Medal victory in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics the Vancouver Canucks want to have that feeling. With 41 years of existence the Canucks have not won a Stanley Cup, honestly I think that drought will be over.
Chris: Canucks in 7
This series could really go either way. Nonetheless i believe someone will win it in a 7 game series, nothing more (obviously) nothing less. If Tim Thomas has a bad game, that is about 4 goals against, which you could easily win with. Whereas Luongo has been shaky, but the Canucks have still battled through and are not going to go down without a fight. Both teams have experienced game 7's in this years playoffs, but in the end I believe the Canucks will grind one out.
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