Bruins Finally Return Home, Promptly Get Stonewalled by Eddie Lack In 2-1 Loss to Canucks

Congrats To The Vancouver Canucks, The 2011-12 Regular Season Stanley Cup Champs

The biggest game of the regular season in the NHL took place this afternoon at TD Garden. Oddly enough at 1 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, a Stanley Cup Finals rematch occurred with the Bruins hosting the Canucks.

I understand why the NHL chose to keep this away from primetime with the NFL playoffs beginning today as well but a matchup of this magnitude deserved even more of the spotlight. Regardless, the 4-3 win by Vancouver (26-13-3) over Boston (26-11-1) proved once and for all that the Canucks have not and will not change their pathetic style.

This much was clear yesterday when they mysteriously announced that franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo would get the day off. Yes, Vancouver won today and celebrated like the Jets in their annual September Super Bowl but make no mistake, that team just doesn't get it.

The B's were their own worst enemy as they got too caught up in setting a physical tone and therefore were goaded into dumb penalties. Milan Lucic was given a bogus game misconduct-later rescinded tonight in a baffling NBA-style move-for jumping in to help teammate Shawn Thornton when the enforcer was surrounded by six (no lie) Canucks. Bruins fans could live with that play but Brad Marchand's reckless flip of Sami Salo late in the second period cost Boston dearly as they gave up two goals on those concurrent penalties.

This all played right into Vancouver's hands since they still possess the top power play in the NHL. The Canucks were 4 for 11 on the man advantage, accounting for all their goals, while the Bruins did their best 2011 playoffs impression with an ugly 0 for 7 clip on the power play. That was obviously the difference in the game.

This was the first time in 2011-12 that Boston failed to win (22-1-1) when they scored three or more goals. Not surprisingly, it wasn't Tim Thomas's (32 saves; 17-7-0) best game but who could blame him?

The largest brawl of the game was 3:54 into the first period when the Canucks jumped Thornton. Eventually, Nathan Horton fought something named Dale Weise in a long, emotional bout. Don't ask me how Vancouver got a power play out of that scenario but they did and Ryan Kesler (11th of the season) gave them a 1-0 lead at 5:41. Boston had almost killed that power play but a deflection went right to Kesler and he knew what to do with it.

Marchand (16th of the season) tied it at 14:57 of the first when he took a beautiful pass from Tyler Seguin and put a backhander behind Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider (36 saves). Patrice Bergeron had the other assist.

After Daniel Paille was stoned on a penalty shot, haha he wristed it right into Schneider's glove, Rich Peverley (7th of the season) gave the B's their only lead of the game at 2-1, 7:12 into the second. Benoit Pouliot had the assist on Peverley's top shelf snipe job.

After Tyler Seguin was called for tripping, finger biter Alex Burrows (16th of the season) tied it at two with a power-play goal from Cody Hodgson and Kevin Bieksa at 15:21. Hodgson was originally credited with the goal but apparently Burrows tipped it past Thomas.

Exactly one minute after Marchand's gaffe, Henrik Sedin (11th of the season) scored a backbreaking goal with 13 seconds left in the second period. Yet again, it was a tip-in on a power-play. Alexander Edler and Bieksa had the assists.

Hodgson (10th of the season) scored the game-winner 1:09 into the third when his slap shot went over Thomas's shoulder. Dan Hamhuis had the lone assist on the fourth and final power-play strike.

Boston had no business being in the game at that point but they certainly made it interesting as David Krejci (10th of the season) scored 42 seconds later from Joe Corvo. Alone in front of Schneider, Krejci was able to take two shots before he beat the Marblehead native.

Speaking of Schneider, the former BC star deserves plenty of credit for holding it down despite a 19-10 shot advantage for the Bruins in the third period. There's no doubt in my mind that Luongo would have crumbled under similar circumstances. Local bias aside, Schneider is one of the NHL's top backups and like Tuukka Rask, he would start on many other teams. Hell, he should probably start on his own.

Since the only other times these clubs could meet is in June for the Stanley Cup Finals, that got me to thinking. If the B's make it that far, maybe I don't want to see the Canucks there. Not because Boston won't win but rather I've already had my fill of Vancouver's diving, flopping and embellishment on way too many plays. Boston meets Montreal six times per season. I'd much rather see the Bruins play the Blackhawks or Red Wings, super-skilled North American (that's the key I guess) teams that don't play such a lame style. Just an idea, that is all a long way off anyway.

The Bruins have their third installment of a four game homestand, all against Canadien teams, on Tuesday when they host the Winnipeg Jets. The teams have split the first two games with the Jets winning most recently 2-1 on December 6 in Winnipeg. Even if they're without Marchand (likely) and Lucic (not as likely since the misconduct was overturned), I am positive the Bruins will bounce back from today's disappointment and that loss to the Jets.

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Next stop: 1st Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 in Boston Bruins history

It seems only natural that the most exciting playoff run for the Boston Bruins in my lifetime will end in the ultimate finale: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals tomorrow night at the Rogers Centre in Vancouver.

Home ice has carried all the weight in the series, making Boston forget its offense at the border while Vancouver loses its will to compete in the Hub. The home teams have won the first six games so the B's hope to break that tomorrow night while also gunning for their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Meanwhile the meek and mild, pale folks of Vancouver are praying that the Canucks grab their first Cup in the franchise's 40 years of existence.

Either way, the Cup will be in the building tomorrow night and the entire hockey universe will be watching one more time.

For the third straight contest, Boston absolutely rolled over Vancouver at TD Garden, taking Game 6 by the score of 5-2. It didn't even feel that close as the Bruins basically guaranteed a winner-take-all Game 7 with a Stanley Cup Finals record four-goal flurry in a span of 4:14 of the first period.

LeBron James is the biggest fraud in the U.S. when it comes to crunch time (like say the fourth quarter of NBA Finals games) but can we agree that Roberto Luongo owns Canada in terms of being pathetic and completely unreliable in the big moment? After crying to the media between Games 5 and 6 about how he wasn't getting enough attention and somehow making fun of Tim Thomas, Luongo deserved all the grief he got.

After giving up three goals and making five saves, he lasted for just 8:35 of Game 6 before he took a seat on Vancouver's bench and called his agent with dreams of a sequel to Mr. Deeds 2. Marblehead, MA native Cory Schneider (30 saves; 2 goals allowed) came in for the second straight time in his hometown as Luongo gave up 15 goals combined in two games and less than half of a period.

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has already stuck by his emotionally-shattered Vezina trophy candidate for the start in Game 7 and as a Bruins fan, I say yeah Alain! In his limited sample size, Schneider looks much more calm and capable of not getting overwhelmed by the stakes.

With another great game (36 saves) and a win, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas wrapped up the Conn Smythe trophy (given to the playoffs MVP). It's clear by now that he's completely in Vancouver's heads as they can't bury breakaways or chances that would be sure-fire goals on almost anyone else in the world.

Boston is a team of solid players that are currently excelling at stepping up their games at just the right time. This was beautifully illustrated last night as five different guys scored goals. 10 different players had points for the Bruins and that doesn't even include Chris Kelly (14 of 19 on faceoffs) and Shawn Thornton (game-high 7 hits), who both left their stamp on this performance.

Vancouver has the big stars offensively in Daniel Sedin (1 goal and 3 assists vs. Boston), Henrik Sedin (1 goal, 0 assists vs. Boston) and Ryan Kesler (0 goals, 1 assist vs. Boston) who's clearly hurt but they've been totally held in check by Boston's lockdown defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.

Brad Marchand (9th of the playoffs, setting a new Bruins rookie record) beat Luongo at 5:31 with a quick snap shot on the high, short side. Mark Recchi and Seidenberg assisted on the goal, Marchand's third in his last four games.

35 seconds later, before the PA announcer had even said the first goal, Milan Lucic scored his fifth of the postseason. It was a soft wrist shot that leaked through Luongo's Paris Hilton-esque five hole. Rich Peverley had the first assist with a nifty drop pass and Johnny Boychuk had the other helper.

Andrew Ference's power-play goal at 8:35 (his fourth of the playoffs) made it 3-0 and signaled the end of Bob Louie's not so excellent adventure. Michael Ryder and Recchi (who had a perfect screen) were credited with the assists.

Only 1:10 into his outing, Schneider gave up a goal to Ryder (his eighth of the playoffs), who tipped home a shot from the point by wait for it, wait for it, TOMAS KABERLE.

Not much transpired in the second period and the Canucks showed a slight pulse as Henrik scored a power-play goal (his third of the playoffs) 22 seconds into the third. His brother and Christian Ehroff assisted on the backhander.

Thomas' shutout was over and Jannik Hansen had a great chance to make it somewhat scary by cutting it to 4-2 but his shot went off the post (haha, that didn't stop the Canucks from celebrating). Replays showed it didn't go in and David Krejci was able to score Boston's second power-play goal of the contest at 6:59 (his 12th of the playoffs from Recchi and Kaberle).

Maxim Lapierre scored in garbage time (his third of the playoffs) at 17:34 from Daniel Sedin and Hansen but there would be no insufferable dancing like in Game 5.

Throw out all the numbers and everything that has happened in this crazy series over the last two weeks. Tomorrow night is all that matters and the Bruins are in a great position to end decades of frustration with the sweetest reward of all: a Stanley Cup on a rival's home ice.

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