PRIMITIVE PUCK

I’m not a huge fan of hockey cliche’s but, in the end, the Boston Bruins just wanted it more.  From rookie Brad Marchand (2 goals, 1 assist in game 7) to 43 year old walking museum exhibit, Mark Recchi (7 points in the finals, +3 in game 7) to the oldest player to ever win the Conn Smythe, Tim Thomas, the Boston Bruins outhustled, outprepared, outworked and generally outplayed the Vancouver Canucks in game 7, which is a shame, because whether your a Boston or Vancouver fan, I think you wanted to see a tighter game than 4 – 0.

Luongo v. Thomas

If this was indeed the game and series that will define Roberto Luongo’s career, it’s going to be a long summer.  Not only was he beaten for three while watching his counterpart put up a shutout, he let in a goal mimicking the type of goal he famously claimed would be “an easy save for me” for the second goal of the game, and then showed a complete lack of determination on a Patrice Bergeron semi-breakaway for the back-breaking third goal of the game.

Throwing Vancouver’s performance into sharp contrast was an incredibly focused and determined Boston Bruins defence anchored by a very confident Tim Thomas.  Thomas ended his Conn Smythe award winning payoffs with a shutout on the road against the highest scoring team in the league, hard to beat that.

Disappearing Act?

Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler combined to be a -10 tonight.  Kesler didn’t have a point in the series.   I’m sure we’ll find out about some injuries in the next couple of days, but it’s hard to win with those numbers.

The Horton Effect – Also known as the opposite of the Krejci effect.

When you have deep, balanced scoring like the Bruins, you can take what should be a devastating blow, like the hit to Nathan Horton, turn it into a motivator and continue to be successful.  The Bruins staff obviously did a great job of that.

I’ll have more of my trademark bullet point analysis tomorrow.  For now, I have to prepare for the long dark of the off-season.

Another game at the Gardens, another absolute pounding of Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks.  The game is two periods deep and the Stanley Cup is already on Kayak.com looking for a cheap flight back to Vancouver.  So, in honour of Luongo’s piss-poor showing tonight, I’m concluding my acclaimed “Luongo Dilemna” trilogy with a debate on the merits of playing or pulling Bobby Lou in game 7.

PULL HIM!!

– Assuming Luongo plays (and doesn’t get pulled) he’ll have been pulled in 2 of 7, and should have been pulled in 3 of 7 games. If the series was only 6 games long he would have been pulled in 50% of the games!

– At the Garden, Luongo has allowed 18 goals and posted a dismal .773 save percentage. (source)

– The three games that the Canucks have won have all been by one goal, so your margin of error is very, very slim here.

– Schneider has been solid in every game he’s played, and that’s coming off the bench cold.  Give the kid a chance to warm up and watch him shine.

– The Vancouver players cannot have any confidence in him at this point. This is the third time people are debating whether or not to play him. That has to weigh on you eventually doesn’t it?

PLAY HIM!!

– He’s your #1 goalie, if you lose with him, it’s his fault, if you lose with without him, it’s your fault.

– He’s making what, 25 million this year? Schneider gets paid in bus passes.

– Luongo has been hot at home with two shutouts in three games, it’s hard to argue with that.

– The guy is a Vezina finalist and Olympic gold medal winner, he’ll pull it together.

VERDICT

You really have to play him, but my god, if Boston scores first (or within the first ten shots, or gets any goal that could be considered weak) you pull him and pull him fast.

The More you Know….

– Vancouver captain, first line centre and reigning NHL MVP, has a single point in this series. And people give Lebron a hard time.

– Win or lose, Boston will likely end the series with twice as many goals as Vancouver.

– Brad Marchand treating Daniel Sedin’s head like a speedbag is one of the funniest and saddest things I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen Requiem for a Dream.

– Regardless of what happens in game 7, Thomas has virtually locked up the Conn Smythe.

– Ex-Vancouver Canuck captain and current Vezina finalist, Roberto Luongo, has two shutouts and has been pulled twice…all in 6 games.

-The four goals against in four minutes and 14 seconds scored against Luongo in game 6 is a Stanley Cup final record.

See you for Game 7, in the meantime…enjoy this….

Winners

Philadelphia

If anyone should know about being wary of a team that’s sneaking into the playoffs it’s the Flyers, but Buffalo simply is not the team they’ve been over the past few years, they should give the Flyers a chance to get their playoff legs under them. Miller could steal a game or two but that’s only going to get you so far against a team with 8, 19 goal men.

3M

Hospital supply companies are about to see a serious spike in sales of stitches, icepacks, smelling salts, bandages, icy-hot, etc, etc, etc.

Roman Cechmanek doing his best to make sure the puck doesn't hit him.

Mediocre Goaltenders

Fast dissolving is the myth that you need a great goalie to be a Stanley Cup winner. The Lower-End Goalie Union looks poised to take another big bump this year with a handful of teams looking to make deep runs on the backs of card-carrying LEGU members. The Sharks, Lightning, Ducks and Capitals will all start the postseason doing their best Philadelphia Flyers impression by going into the playoffs with goaltending that is questionable at best. Hell, even gold medal winning, Stanley Cup favourite, Roberto Luongo is being questioned. And the Flyers themselves? Well the Flyers are being the Flyers.

California and California North

Kings, Sharks and Ducks make it into the playoffs together for the first time ever with Vancouver leading almost all bookies as the team to beat. All due respect to the Great One, but there’s never been a better time to be a hockey fan on the left side of the country.

Ghosts of Playoffs Past/Fans

Who isn’t itching to watch Habs v. Bruins and Chicago v. Vancouver? I’d like to think even Vancouver wanted a chance to exorcise those demons.

Losers

Chicago

With the season on the line, playing at home, the defending Stanley Cup champs couldn’t get the job done. The playoffs are better with the Blackhawks in but you have to earn it, from both a management and player perspective, and they haven’t done that in the past calendar year.

Anyone over 6’3 hitting anyone under 6’1

Let’s pray we don’t see another series decided because of a flavour of the month rule change. I want to know how Chara can hit Gomez without “targeting the head”.

Habs Fans

Being beaten by your most hated rival is hard enough. Being beaten by your most hated rival who’s captain you recently tried to have arrested is something else altogether. Let’s hope the Montreal police invested in some fireproof cars this year.

Daniel Sedin

You get injured for the first time in your career and have to sit watch your brother become the most valuable player in hockey. So, not to be outdone, you come back from injury, lead the league in points and power play goals and sit among the leaders in goals, +/- and game winning goals all while leading your team to the President’s Trophy and odd’s on Stanley Cup favourites. You do all that, just to see Corey Perry put in a second half performance that all but ensures him the Hart trophy. I’d be inclined to vote for Daniel just for a sense of symmetry.