Boston Bruins over Vancouver Canucks to force Game 7

The Canucks took Game 5 (which was not in the plan) Friday night with a 1-0 victory and Roberto Luongo played like the Vezina Trophy finalist that he is.  It was a stark departure from the goalie who was tagged with 12 goals in Games 3 & 4.  Luongo turned aside 31 shots and stoned the upstart offense of the Bruins.  The Canucks continue to be plagued by their own power play woes, going 0-3 in Game 5 while connecting on only 1 of 25 man advantage situations.  Though Vancouver fans will bemoan their team, it may also be a result of some superb penalty killing by the Bruins.

Once again, the Bruins lose by the thinnest of margins in Vancouver when +145 dogs at the hockey betting window.  In Games 1 & 2 they lost by scores of 1-0 and 3-2 in OT respectively and of course another 1-0 loss in Game 5.  The home ice advantage has been the common denominator in backing the right pony in this series.  While the Canucks have won heart stopping, nail biting games at home, the Bruins have thoroughly walloped the Canadian invaders by scores of 8-1 and 4-0 in Games 3 & 4 at the Garden.  Tonight will be the final home game for the Bruins and if they’re making a last stand, they couldn’t pick a better place to do it.  The Bruins have won 9 of their last 10 home games in the postseason and as stated, have dominated the Canucks in Boston.

According to sources, the Bruins had an outstanding practice after their Game 5 loss.  The checking and hitting was reminiscent of a fresh team starting the season, not a battle fatigued club limping through the finish line at the end of the year.  The Bruins also have not taken kindly to the Canucks’ antics this series.  Whether it be the Burrows biting incident, the Rome hit on Horton which ended the talented winger’s season, the continuous diving by instigator Maxim Lapierre or the recent revelation of goaltender Roberto Luongo that he would have stopped the goal that got by Tim Thomas to win Game 5.  While Luongo has played brilliantly in most games, Thomas has played brilliantly in all of them in this Stanley Cup final.  It might be wise for the Canucks not to poke the bears anymore than need be.

Historically, when the final series has been tied headed into Game 5, the winner of that game has gone on to win the Stanley Cup 15 of 21 times.  However, all the Bruins need to do for inspiration is look at Colorado (2001), Tampa Bay (2004) and Pittsburgh (2009) who all overcame their 3-2 deficits to win the Cup.  If there is anything that defines the Bruins in this postseason it is their ability to shake off a heartbreaking loss and play the next game with even more grit and determination.  They have impressively stymied the Canucks vaunted power play throughout and have miraculously held Henrik Sedin without a point while containing brother Daniel to only one lone goal. 

Though these two teams have been dead even during the series, the Bruins have dominated on home ice.  Unlike when the teams play in Vancouver, the games were virtually a coin flip until the bitter end, Boston has had no problem dispatching the Canucks on home ice.  Like hockey216 in the forum, I think the Canucks may very well win the series but I have a difficult time envisioning them doing it where they have failed so miserably in the past.  Play Boston -145.