Thomas, Bruins beat up on Canucks, again - square up Cup Final series
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By Bruce Fuhr
The Nelson Daily Sports
It’s down to a best of three in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
Tim Thomas stopped 38 shots to lead the Boston Bruins to a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in game four of the Stanley Cup Final Wednesday at the TD Gardens in Beantown.
It was the second convincing victory for the Bruins, which tied the series at 2-2.
“When you don’t score a goal, ya, it’s a bit frustrating,” Canuck defenceman Kevin Bieksa said following the game four loss.
“At the same time we’re getting chances (Thomas) is making good saves.”
“We’ve got to stay with it,” Bieksa added. “You’ve got to keep doing the same thing keep putting pucks on net and it will come around.”
Thanks to the “Conn Smythe” play of Thomas, who allowed one goal in two games at home, Boston got all the scoring it would 12 minutes into the game.
An ill-advised pinch by the Canuck defence sprung Rich Peverley in all along on Roberto Luongo. Peverley took advantage of the chance, beating Luongo through the five-hole.
This all coming in a period Vancouver out shot the Bruins 12-6 and a period the Canucks had several good scoring opportunities.
Much like game three, a quick spurt in the second sealed the deal for Boston.
Michael Ryder and Canucks pest Brad Marchand scored just over two minutes apart to give the home side a 3-0 lead.
The Bruins turned the game over to Thomas who stopped anything, and everything, the Canucks could throw at the Boston net.
“It’s never been a beach ball for me in my whole career,” said Thomas, responding to the CBC-TV question about the Boston goalie seeing the puck as a beach ball in this series.
“But I am feeling good.”
“ . . . I’m speechless because I don’t want to jinx it,” added Thomas.
Game five is Friday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver with the series shifting back to Boston Monday for game six.
If a seventh game is necessary it will be played Wednesday at the Rogers Arena.
All games can be seen at 5 p.m. PDT on CBC-TV.
CUP NOTES: The Sedin Twins, Daniel and Henrik, have a total of two points in the Stanley Cup Final. . . .Boston center David Krejci has taken over the playoff points lead, one ahead of Henrik Sedin. Patrice Bergeron of the Bruins is tied with Daniel Sedin of the Canucks for sixth spot, each with 18 points. . . . Boston has outscored Vancouver 14-5 in the series.
A FEW STANLEY CUP FACTS:
The Stanley Cup is two feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 34.5 pounds.
There are more than 2,200 different names engraved on the Stanley Cup, including players, coaches and owners of the Cup-winning teams.
Every 13 years, a new ring is added to the bottom of the Stanley Cup to add more names of the Cup’s winners.
In 1905, a team from Dawson City, Yukon traveled for 23 days by dogsled, boat and train to Ottawa to play for the Stanley Cup against the Ottawa Silver Seven. After finally arriving in Ottawa, the team from Dawson City got smoked in both games: 9-2 and 22-3.
When the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2003, goaltender, Martin Brodeur took the Cup to a movie theater and ate popcorn out of it.
In 1996, Sylvain Lefebvre of the Colorado Avalanche had his first child baptized in the Stanley Cup.
The Stanley Cup has traveled to several different countries including the Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Japan, Switzerland and the Bahamas — including Nelson, B.C. in 2007 for Hockey Day in Canada.
A bodyguard now accompanies the Stanley Cup on all its adventures.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
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