Stanley Cup Final Game 7 Preview

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By Josh Brewster | Hockeytalk.biz

JUNE 14, 2011 -- Talk is cheap.  Who will laugh last in the Stanley Cup final?

It’s just amazing to watch the Vancouver Canucks toss out one verbal swipe after another. 

After Game 5, it was fairly amazing to watch Roberto Luongo toss gasoline on his critics’ fire as he leveled his snarky remark about Tim Thomas’ one – count ‘em – one goal against in a 1-0 Vancouver victory. 

You’d think that after Luongo was pulled during a 4-0 Game 4 loss, and before that, having to beg Coach Alain Vigneault not to pull him from the previous Game 3 disaster (a 8-1 loss), Bobby Lu would have chosen to be diplomatic.  Thomas has played brilliantly, and the goal he surrendered took a tough carom off the boards before Max Lapierre scored Vancouver’s game-winner.

Too juiced on his 1-0 shutout in Game 5 which gave his club a 3-2 lead in the series, Luongo was sharp and to the point when a reporter asked him about the difficulty of the caromed shot:

“It's not hard if you're playing in the paint,” swiped Bobby Lu.  “It's an easy save for me, but if you're wandering out and aggressive like he does, that's going to happen. He might make some saves that I won't, but in a case like that, we want to take advantage of a bounce like that and make sure we're in a good position to bury those.”

The day after, Luongo continued his commentary.

“I’ve been pumping (Thomas’) tires ever since the series started,” said Luongo.  “I haven’t heard him say one nice thing about me.”

Fast forward to Game 6.  Luongo entered the game ready to redeem himself after surrendering 12 goals on 58 shots in his first two Cup final visits to Boston (Games 3 and 4).

So what happened?  He was lit up for three goals on eight shots before being yanked just 8:35 into the game. 

So much for talk. 

To add to the madness, word leaked prior to Game 6 that the Canucks tried selling the broadcast rights to their potential Stanley Cup parade. 

Boston Coach Claude Julien tried to tamp down the impact of the rhetoric after Game 5.

“To be honest with you, this series has been a lot about that, and I know you guys are probably loving it,” said Julien to and about the press.  “But we’re down to the wire here and have to focus on our game and what it means, a lot more than on what is being said.”

Further evidence of Thomas’ cool, of his being “In the zone,” as the saying goes: A reporter tries to goad the Bruins netminder to respond to Luongo’s barbs after Boston’s Game 6 victory.

“I’m not going there,” said Thomas to the reporter who asked about his feeling any satisfaction over watching Luongo allow the Bruins’ first goal, a sniper shot to the corner by Brad Marchand. 

“I prefer to talk about the good shot that Marchand made to get us going.”

Why Boston Wins Game 7: Thomas comes in cool

“Hot you’re cool, so cool you’re hot,” sang Dave Wakeling of General Public back in the 80s.  He might as well have been talking about Tim Thomas heading into Game 7. 

“The reality is, for me anyways, this may be the only Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals that I ever have in my career…When we're in the garage or driveway playing as a kid and you're fantasizing, well, I was Stevie Yzerman, which doesn't make sense for a goalie, but you're saying to yourself, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, you're not saying Game 6, you know?  So this is really, you know, what every kid dreams about.”

Considering that Vancouver has won its home games by only one goal in each of the three contests, it’s entirely conceivable that the 37-year-old Thomas will turn the tide and make that extra save, the one which has eluded him in BC thus far.

Why Vancouver Wins Game 7: Sedin Twins pick it up with help from “7^th Man”

It’s hard to believe that Vancouver is playing a Game 7 with stud second-line center and Selke trophy nominee Ryan Kesler playing injured and contributing only one point—an assist in Game 1—thus far.  What’s even harder to fathom is that defending Hart trophy winner Henrik Sedin failed to record a point until Game 6, with the game out of reach. 

After all the points they’ve racked up, it’s conceivable that the Sedins will have had enough of the questions being hurled their way--not to mention the Zdeno Chara body checks they’ve received—and buck up for 60 minutes, just long enough to eke out one more home win.

Have to wonder whether the final jolt of playing before the home crowd, the “Seventh Man” as the home crowd is often colloquially referred, will be enough to lift the Canucks to one last great performance in a President’s Trophy-winning season. 

Contentious Series

Alex Burrows’ Game 1 finger bite on Patrice Bergeron set the stage for a contentious series. 

Burrows punctuated his non-suspension by scoring the overtime winner in Game 2.  Also in Game 2, Canuck forward Max Lapierre shoved his fingers in Bergeron’s mouth. 

To return the favor, Bruins Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic returned the favor to Lapierre during Boston’s Game 3 victory.  Also in that game, Aaron Rome’s blindside hit severely concussed Boston forward Nathan Horton (21GP: 8-9-17; 3 game-winners) and got Rome tossed from the series. 

In Game 4, Tim Thomas punctuated a 4-0 shutout by walloping Burrows late in the game while Daniel Sedin stood around and did almost nothing to help his linemate.  Horton’s emotional appearance in the TD Garden stands energized the crowd and his team. 

Hats off:

Achievements we’ve liked during the Cup final: Patrice Bergeron’s dominance of the faceoff circle in the wake of having his finger bitten in Game 1.  Kevin Bieksa’s emergence as the Canucks’ most effective defenseman just months after he was on the trading block.  Jannik Hansen, Maxim Lapierre and Raffi Torres supplying the vast majority of Vancouver’s scoring—all from the third line.  Bruin Michael Ryder’s three goals and three assists.  Bruin Rich Peverley’s two goals and two assists while pressed into action to take over for Horton. 

Stat Pack:

The Bruins have outscored the Canucks, 19-9, yet the series is tied. 

The Bruins entered the Cup final 5-61 on the power play during Rounds 1-3.  Boston has reversed course in this series: 5-26 through Game 6.  Vancouver’s power play has been abysmal: 2-31.

There have been 15 Game 7s in Cup history, and the home team has won 12.  The last time the home team won each game was in 2003, when New Jersey defeated Anaheim.  It was also the last time that a player from the losing team (Anaheim’s J-S Giguere) won the Conn Smythe trophy.  It appears that most writers are angling to give this season’s playoff MVP award to Thomas regardless whether Boston wins Wednesday.

Mason Raymond out 3-4 months

Mason Raymond fractured a vertebrae after a hit by Dennis Seidenberg early in Game 6.  Bent over, Raymond was driven into the boards tailbone-first, and while bent at the torso.  He is expected to miss 3-4 months.  There was no penalty on the play and the play will not be subject to supplemental discipline.

MIKE GILLIS ON THE MASON RAYMOND INJURY (COURTESY NHL):

Q. Mike, your thoughts on the Boychuk hit on Mason and any discussion you had with the league about that?

MIKE GILLIS: I haven't had any discussion with them after last night. All I can tell you is my observations of the hit. I didn't see the puck around him. I thought the Boston player used a can opener and drove him into the boards with enough force to break his back. That's what I saw.

I don't have much more to say about that other than that observation.

Q. Mike, given that, then, and given the suspension earlier to Aaron Rome and the heavy hand the league brought down, are you expecting any kind of supplementary discipline, and if there isn't, will you be disappointed that there isn't?

MIKE GILLIS: I'm not in charge of supplementary discipline, so I'm not the right person to ask about that.

I think when you see the severity of that injury, the way our doctors described it to me, very, very dangerous, and, you know, I'm always disappointed when you see any player get injured. I was asking Lawrence when the last time we saw a broken back occur in the NHL. I can't recall it other than an incident here a number of years ago.

But it wasn't a chipped vertebrae or cracked vertebrae. It's broken through the belly of his vertebrae, so it's a very serious injury. You never want to see any player on any team have an injury like that.

Q. Mike, have you been frustrated with the natures of the calls and the way the games have been called up to this point in time?

MIKE GILLIS: That's a question I don't think I can answer without getting myself into trouble under any circumstances, so I'm not going to answer that. It isn't right for me to speculate or to comment on officiating.

Q. Can you give us the prognosis? Is he in danger of not being able to walk?

MIKE GILLIS: Initially there was some very serious concern about that. He did move after he had been on the ice for a period of time. He began to move his legs and I know when he got to the hospital they were very concerned.

If we get Mason Raymond back by November of next year, we will be very happy.

Q. I was wondering why it was that he was not taken off on a stretcher?

MIKE GILLIS: I don't know why. I'm unsure. I think because he began to move his feet and he had feeling. We wondered about that as well, but I haven't had the chance to ask Mike. But our trainers are excellent trainers, so I'm sure they felt there was no risk at that point because of what he was saying and what he was doing on the ice.

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