Bruins' fast 4 whip Canucks

Bruins jump out to big lead against Luongo, force Game 7

June 13, 2011|By Helene Elliott, Tribune Newspapers
  • The Bruins' Zdeno Chara flattens Vancouver's Henrik Sedin during Game 6.
The Bruins' Zdeno Chara flattens Vancouver's Henrik Sedin during Game 6. (Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)

BOSTON — The Bruins and Canucks continued to take the Stanley Cup finals to extremes on Monday, reducing the series to a winner-takes-all Game 7 on Wednesday at Vancouver's Rogers Arena.

The Bruins, dominant at home but goal-starved on the road, kept their Cup hopes alive with a 5-2 victory built on a first-period scoring spree that set a record for the fastest four goals by one team in a Cup finals game. The home team has won each game, the Canucks' biggest reason for optimism after a weak effort Monday by goaltender Roberto Luongo and most of his teammates.

"You play a lot of games during the season to get home ice, and this is where we are," said Canucks captain Henrik Sedin, who recorded his first point of the finals on a power-play backhander that eluded Tim Thomas 22 seconds into the third period.

"We like our situation."

But so do the Bruins, who are trying to win the club's first Cup since 1972. The Canucks have never won the Cup since entering the NHL in the 1970-71 season.

"We played the game of our lives," Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "It was such an important game for us."

Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, Andrew Ference and Michael Ryder triggered roars from the crowd at TD Garden by scoring in a span of 4 minutes, 14 seconds. The previous record for fastest four goals by one team was 5:29, set by the Canadiens against the Red Wings on March 31, 1956. David Krejci scored the Bruins' final goal during a five-on-three advantage in the third period.

The Canucks had the powerful motivation Monday of knowing the Stanley Cup was in the house, ready to be presented to them. Even that wasn't enough for them to win in Boston, where they were outscored 17-3 in three games and Luongo was pulled twice.

"They came out flying and got some goals, and I obviously didn't make enough key saves to weather the storm," Luongo said.


The Canucks won Games 1, 2 and 5 at home by a combined 5-2, including a pair of 1-0 shutouts by Luongo.

"Obviously we are good in Vancouver, and they've been good here," Daniel Sedin said, "so that's why I'm confident going into Game 7."

The tone for the Canucks was somber from the first minute, when a hit by Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk sent winger Mason Raymond hard into the boards. Raymond was bent over with his back to the boards when Boychuck shoved him and he fell awkwardly, causing a stoppage 20 seconds in. He was slow to get up and needed help to leave the ice. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of an undisclosed injury, but Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said he had no update after the game.


The Bruins scored again while Canucks defenseman Alex Edler was serving a boarding penalty. Ference was credited with the goal, which appeared to deflect somewhere between his shot and the time it eluded Luongo.

Cory Schneider replaced Luongo after that goal at 8:35 but didn't have much better luck. He was beaten at 9:45 by Ryder's redirection of a shot by Tomas Kaberle.

The Canucks stirred in the third, on goals by Henrik Sedin and Maxim Lapierre, but the Bruins wouldn't be denied.

"It's one game from the Stanley Cup, so you can't hang your head now and feel sorry for yourself," Luongo said. "That would be the worst thing I could do."

Losing Game 7 might be worse.