VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Boston Bruins won their sixth Championship and first in thirty-nine years with a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final. Until tonight, the home team had won each of their games in the series. The difference in Game Seven was the dominant physical play of the Bruins and the stellar play of their Conn Smythe-winning goaltender Tim Thomas. Vancouver’s dismal offense continued and failed them when it was needed the most.
Where Boston fell short in their three previous road games in Vancouver scoring just two goals, they found a way in Game Seven to penetrate the home team’s net at Rogers Centre doubling their previous Series output. Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo, which had almost singlehandedly secured three Canucks wins in the Final, failed to deliver in the critical Game Seven.
Vancouver’s offense rarely threatened the Boston net despite registering thirty-seven shots. There might have been eight quality chances from the Canucks the entire night. Meanwhile, the Bruins were as dominating tonight as they had been in their three previous victories in the Final. Boston scored on four of their twenty one shots with Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo allowing three of those goals.
Boston established the tempo early and it took just over fourteen minutes into the opening period. Brad Marchand won a critical face-off to the right of Luongo and stickhandled around the circle before centering the puck to a waiting Patrice Bergeron. He delivered a quick snap shot along the ice toward the Vancouver night to give Boston the early lead.
After some tight, two-way play, Boston solved Luongo again when Brad Marchand followed a bouncing puck around the back of the goal and attempted to stuff a backhander past the Vancouver netminder. Luongo stopped the initial shot nicely, but seemed to struggle to find the puck underneath his outstretched arms and in doing so, pushed the puck into his own goal giving Boston a 2-0 lead.
A breakaway five minutes after the second Bruins goal led to another awkward scoring play. Patrice Bergeron was hauled down by Vancouver defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as both players arrived at the Canucks goal. A penalty was going to be called on Ehrhoff, but the puck went into the net during the collision and after some confusion on whether Bergeron punched the puck in with his glove and subsequent video review, referee Dan O’ Halloran ruled it a good goal.
Boston delivered a fourth goal into an open net in the closing minutes to make it 4-0, but this game had been determined after the first goal. It seemed with each Boston goal, more and more life was taken out of the Western Conference Champions. Vancouver never really stood a chance after the second period.
Boston showed physical play, stingy defense and spectacular goaltending was the formula to take home The Cup. The long flight back to Boston will be much more tolerable than it had been the previous two trips this post-season. The good news for Boston as well will be most if not all of this Championship team will be together when the season starts in 110 days.
Throughout the seven-game Final, Vancouver was a different team than they showed in the regular season. Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler left their scoring touch in the locker room. Goaltender Roberto Luongo allowed twenty goals in the seven-game series and failed to live up to his reputation as a Championship-caliber goaltender.
It will be difficult for General Manager Mike Gillis to keep this team together and make another run next season. Vancouver will have to roll into an off-season with painful disappointment. After the Game Six loss in Boston, Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault repeatedly responded to questions from the media with, “We’ve turned the page.” I hope every supporter of the Canucks takes his advice.
Contact Dennis.Morrell@prohockeynews.ocm
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