Stanley Cup finals Game 3: Boston 4, Vancouver 0 after two periods

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The Bruins broke Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals open in the second period, scoring four times and igniting roars from the TD Garden crowd on Monday night.

Their first goal came 11 seconds into the period. The Canucks won the faceoff to start the period but defenseman Alex Edler’s stick broke and he couldn’t handle the puck when it came back to him. The Bruins’ alert forecheckers pounced on it and took control, finally getting the puck to defenseman Andrew Ference for a shot from the blue line that appeared to deflect off someone in front and past goaltender Roberto Luongo.

The Bruins took a 2-0 lead on a power-play goal, a rare event for them. They moved the puck well and got it down low on the right side to Mark Recchi, who tried to pass it to Rich Peverley at the left post. But Vancouver center Ryan Kesler, trying to clear the puck out of danger, instead tipped it between Luongo’s legs at 4:22.

Again prevailing in the battle of special teams, the Bruins increased their lead to 3-0 with a short-handed goal at 11:30. Brad Marchand was credited with the unassisted goal after he got control of the puck in the neutral zone, got behind Edler, and with the puck rolling on edge whipped a shot over a sprawling Luongo.

With their fourth goal on their 20th shot the Bruins officially turned the game into a rout. David Krejci converted the long rebound of a shot by Ryder at 15:47, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The only remaining suspense centered on whether Boston goaltender Tim Thomas would get a shutout and if the Bruins would try to hurt one of the Canucks’ skill players to avenge Nathan Horton’s injury in the first period.

Check back later for more at www.latimes.com/sports.

--Helene Elliott in Boston