Stanley Cup Final Recap

With the completion of the Stanley Cup Final last night, here’s a brief recap of the series between the Canucks and Bruins…

1) Canucks vs. 3) Bruins
The pick: Canucks in 5
The result: Bruins in 7

Three Stars of the series:
1. Tim Thomas, BOS (4-3, 1.15 GAA, .967 SV%, 2 SO)
2. Brad Marchand, BOS (5 Goals, 2 Assists, +6)
3. Mark Recchi, BOS (3 Goals, 4 Assists, +3)
Unsung hero:
Dennis Seidenberg, BOS (19 blocked shots, 18 hits, 3 assists, +4)

Why Boston won… As the series went on, the Bruins had more energy and more fight than the Canucks. Obviously, Thomas was sensational from start to finish, but the B’s got contributions from all around. Brad Marchand was a difference-maker. It also seemed like every game brought on a different hero. They took the hit to Nathan Horton personally, and it seemed to ignite them emotionally. Surprisingly, Boston scored more than shorthanded goals (3) than Vancouver did on the power play (2). In the end, when facing elimination, they had the heart of a champion.

Why Vancouver lost… Meanwhile, the Canucks did not display that same heart. No matter how inconsistent Roberto Luongo was, scoring 8 goals in 7 games isn’t going to get the job done. I don’t know if they were simply worn out physically or couldn’t figure out the Bruins – probably a little bit of both. I think Game 7 at home was almost too much pressure for this team; when they gave up the first goal, there was no pushback or extra drive from the Canucks. Their antics and shenanigans lit a fire under Boston, giving them more reason to hate Alex Burrows and company. The Canucks were outclassed by a Bruins team that was built to beat them.

Photo credit: Getty Images