Stanley Cup Finals

Talk about a momentum shift. After losing a pair of heartbreakers north of the border, the Bruins dominated games 3 and 4 evening the series at 2 games apiece. Both games in Vancouver were decided by 1 goal with the Canucks scoring in the closing seconds of regulation to win game 1 and in the opening seconds of overtime to win game 2. There would be no such finishes in Boston though as the Bruins outscored Vancouver 12-1 over the past two games. The Bruins totally neutralized the Canucks power play forcing them to go 0 for 14 over the past two games while tallying a pair of shorthanded goals in that span. The Bruins also scored a pair of power play goals themselves. Tim Thomas continues to be sensational stopping 40 shots in Game 3's 8-1 win and 38 more for a 4-0 shutout in Game 4. The Canucks meanwhile are reeling. Roberto Luongo was pulled in Game 4 after allowing 12 goals on 51 shots in a little over 4 periods of hockey (the Bruins did not score in the first period of Game 3). It's probably not a coincidence that the Canucks have been without star defenseman Dan Hamhuis the past two games, but they're going to have to figure something out and quick as the series heads back to Vancouver for Game 5 tomorrow.

Boston looked to be down and out as they headed home for Game 3. The two emotionally draining losses appeared to be taking their toll and then the first period of Game 3 saw Nathan Horton suffer a vicious hit at the hands of Aaron Rome that knocked him out cold and saw him stretchered off the ice. It's hard to say if that one play was what changed the series, but the fact is that since Horton's injury, they've outscored the Canucks 12-1.


Part of the Bruins' success has been their ability to totally neutralize the Sedin brothers, Daniel and Henrik. Daniel, who had 104 points during the regular season, has been held without a point in 3 of the 4 games this series, scoring only in Game 2. Henrik entered the series as the postseason's leading scorer with 2 goals and 19 assists, but he hasn't scored a single point against Boston. Part of that is Tim Thomas, but a lot of credit goes to Zdeno Chara and the Bruins defense. Daniel has 16 shots and just the one goal while Henrik has just 2 shots on goal this series.

So now looking ahead to Game 5 tomorrow night, what can we expect? Well, we've seen Vancouver rally before in this postseason. After 3 straight losses to the Blackhawks, they still managed to come back and win Game 7 in the first round. If I had to guess, I would think we'll be looking at a much closer game in Game 5 than we saw in either game in Boston. I predict a 2-1 Vancouver win followed by Boston taking Game 6 and then big time Game 7 showdown for the Stanley Cup. But we all know how good my predictions usually go so I sure wouldn't bet the house on what I'm predicting. Games 5 through 7 will all be on NBC. Puck drops at 8 Eastern tomorrow night.