After getting humiliated in Game 4, the Canucks bitched, moaned, whined, and complained about the Bruins.
They probably should have practiced more.
For the second time in as many games, the Bruins' aggressive play not only beat the Canucks on the scoreboard but may have shattered their psyche in the process.
Coach Alain Vaingault of the Canucks stuck with Roberto Luongo in net after he let up eight goals in Game 3 in an attempt to restore confidence in the fragile netminder. Last night however, Luongo continued to be part of the problem for the Canucks.
Boston got on the board at 11:59 of the 1st, as Rich Peverley scored his third of the playoffs. David Krejci made a great play against the Vancouver Defense, poking the puck ahead to the surging Peverley, who the beat Luongo five-hole to put the Bruins up 1-0.
Michael Ryder sniped a shot past Luongo in the second from the left faceoff dot, beating him glove side to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. To be fair though, Luongo said that the puck dropped three feet in the air so it wasn't a bad goal. So basically we have an answer to the question "Is Luongo soft?"
Brad Marchand then took advantage of a hell of a forecheck from Patrice Bergeron, who went behind the Vancouver net, battled one of the Sedin sisters, and fired the puck to the goal mouth. March-mont was waiting on the doorstep, lifting a backhander past Luongo's glove....again. No word on whether that puck dropped. Peverley added a second goal on a centering pass from Lucic to chase Luongo from the game. Former Boston College star Corey Schnieder came in and stopped all eight shots he faced.
Game 5 is Friday night in Vancouver.
*Game Notes*
*How great was it to see Bobby Orr wave Horton's flag pregame? It's a great idea for the B's to bring out all the legends and ifGgame 6 is a possible clincher, I wanna see em all. Give me Schmidt, Orr, Bucyk, Bourque, Neely, Sweeney, Blake Wheeler, etc. Well maybe not Wheeler.
*Vancouver stayed true to their game plan, being passive and afraid to engage any Bruin at any point throughout the night. Early on, the Versus cameras picked up Marchand slashing Henrik Sedin repeatedly before a faceoff. What did their CAPTAIN do? Nothing. Just stood there and took it like a bitch. Just inconceivable that a captain and supposed leader would take such punishment from the smallest guy on the ice.
*It got better later on, as Marchand knocked over Ballard and then ducked to avoid a hit from Sedin, prompting Ballard to engage Marchand, who unlike Sedin, stood up for himself. Adam McQuiad then dropped the gloves and attempted to fight Ballard, who bitched up and turtled. Textbook Vancouver.
*My favorite moment came during the third, when Burrows repeatedly chopped at the stick of Tim Thomas. After a while, Thomas said fuck this and plowed Burrows (although he called it a love tap) to the delight of the raucous Garden crowd. Dennis Seidenberg came into the crease and took Burrows out. Classic. The scrum ended when Marchand once again messed with Sedin and gave him the best face wash I have ever seen.
*Luongo is mentally screwed and both he and Vingnault are to blame for leaving him in in Game 3 to get lit up to the tune of eight goals. There is no chance that he sits on Game 5 in Vancouver but one has to wonder whether or not he has psychologically taken himself out of the game.
*While the Canucks as a team are dispicable, I still am shocked that the Green "Men" aren't floating down the Charles right now. Especially after reports surfaced that they attempted to place a Canucks jersey on Bobby Orr's statue outside. Really, how dumb do you have to be? If I were a Boston cop, I would have looked the other way while the Big Scary Man Guy beat the shit out of both of them.
*The whole team is mentally drained. The last two games have been embarrassing for a team that led the NHL in scoring this season. And this is all on them. From the bite, to the Burrows vegetarian joke, to Lapierre, to the hit on Horton and beyond. This team is already beaten. Mentally checked out, and there is no doubt in my mind that the Bruins win in six.
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