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

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

Photo: Boston's Brad Marchand scores over a sprawling Roberto Luongo of Vancouver in the second period Monday night at TD Garden. Credit: Adam Hunger / Reuters

Stanley Cup finals Game 3: Bruins' Horton moving extremities at hospital after ugly hit by Aaron Rome

A late and vicious hit by Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome to the head of Boston winger Nathan Horton dominated the scoreless opening period at TD Garden.

The only question after the severity of Horton's injuries is how severe Rome’s punishment will be, not if he will be punished. Horton, who was carried off the ice on a stretcher, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and was moving all of his extremities, according to the Bruins. This will be a bellwether moment for the NHL, which has tried to crack down on blindside blows to the head. The ruling likely will be made by Mike Murphy, the league's senior vice president of hockey operations.

Horton was crossing the Canucks’ blue line when Rome, moving his body in an upward motion, slammed his left shoulder into Horton’s head well after Horton had passed the puck. Horton fell backward and his helmeted head hit the ice with terrifying force; he was flat on his back for several minutes while medical personnel attended to him.

Rome was initially sent to the penalty box but was soon sent to the locker room with the boos of the fans at TD Garden ringing in his ears. He got a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.

According to Canada's TSN network, the hit occurred nearly a full second after Horton released the puck. TSN measured the hit at 28 frames after the puck was released, with 30 frames comprising a full second. The NHL's usual standard for late hits is if they occur more than a half-second after the puck is released.

The rap sheet is lengthening for the Canucks, who don’t have to play dirty but seem intent on making their skill secondary to their stupidity. In Game 1, winger Alexandre Burrows bit the gloved fingers of Boston center Patrice Bergeron; in Game 2, center Maxim Lapierre thrust his fingers in Bergeron’s face and taunted him, daring Bergeron to bite the fingers.

The Bruins didn’t score on that power play. The Canucks also had a power play but didn’t capitalize.

The Canucks had 12 shots in the first period to seven for the Bruins.

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

--Helene Elliott, in Boston

Photo: Boston's Nathan Horton slides to a stop on the ice after a devastating hit by Vancouver's Aaron Rome. Credit: Charles Krupa / Associated Press

Canucks still getting their teeth into Bruins in Stanley Cup finals

Vancouver Canucks winger Alex Burrows’ bite on the gloved fingers of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals got him a hearing with the NHL and probably should have gotten Burrows suspended for Game 2, in which he collected three points in a 3-2 overtime victory that gave the Canucks a 2-0 series lead.

Boston fans fumed over that, and they had more to stew over when Vancouver center Max Lapierre waved his fingers in Bergeron’s face late in Game 2 and taunted the Boston center, who swatted Lapierre’s hand away.

“Everyone is trying their best to win the games. What happened on the ice, happened on the ice,” Lapierre said Monday in Boston after the Canucks’ morning skate at TD Center.

Stanley Cup finals Game 3: Bruins looking for home-ice edge

When the Boston Bruins were at a crossroads in their Stanley Cup playoff journey, left wing Shawn Thornton and right wing Mark Recchi decided to play an unusual version of show-and-tell for their teammates.

Before the Bruins faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference championships, Thornton and Recchi pulled out some jewelry that none of their teammates had: their Stanley Cup rings. Recchi won two, with the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes. Thornton won one, with the Ducks in 2007.

The display served as motivation and a reminder of what was at stake. And it worked: The Bruins won that game and advanced to the Stanley Cup finals, where they hope to record their first win Monday at TD Garden after losing the first two games in Vancouver.

Stanley Cup finals: Boston 2, Vancouver 1 after two periods in Game 2

The Bruins, who were shut out by the Canucks in Game 1, finally solved Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo in the second period. After being stymied on 36 shots in Game 1 and their first 20 on Saturday in Game 2, they got the better of him twice and took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.

Boston pulled even at the nine-minute mark, as East Vancouver native Milan Lucic converted the rebound of a shot by defenseman Johnny Boychuk.

The Bruins continued to exert pressure, which led the Canucks to take a penalty, which led to -- gasp -- a power-play goal for the Bruins, their first in the finals and only their sixth in 69 advantages during the playoffs. Mark Recchi scored it by deftly redirecting a shot by Zdeno Chara past Luongo at 11:35.

Boston goaltender Tim Thomas helped preserve that lead with a spectacular, sliding save on Jannik Hansen, sliding from his left to his right to get in front of Hansen’s close-in attempt.

The Canucks had a couple of other good chances, mostly from third-liners Hansen, Maxim Lapierre and Raffi Torres, but Thomas was up to the challenge.

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

-- Helene Elliott in Vancouver, Canada

Photo: The Bruins' Mark Recchi redirects the puck past Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo for a goal in the second period of Game 2 on Saturday night in Vancouver. Credit: Andy Clark / Reuters

Stanley Cup finals: Vancouver 1, Boston 0 after first period of Game 2

With their opening-night jitters out of the way, both teams were aggressive and were dishing out teeth-rattling hits in the first period Saturday.

The Canucks, already drawing on the crowd’s energy, got an additional lift with the return of center Manny Malhotra from a severe eye injury.

Malhotra, who has undergone several surgical procedures since he was struck in the left eye by a deflected puck on March 16, got a standing ovation when he came out for his first shift, at 1:48 of the first period. He won his first faceoff, against Boston’s Chris Kelly, and played 2:52 in the period. He lost the only other faceoff he took.

The Canucks scored the only goal of the period, during a power play. Ryan Kesler, who had been hit hard by Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk about three minutes into the period and seemed wobbly afterward, looked just fine when he tried to get the puck through the legs of Boston’s Zdeno Chara in the Bruins’ zone. Chara impeded his progress and was sent off for interference at 10:24.

The Canucks couldn’t sustain much pressure but made their own luck to set up the goal. Canucks defenseman Sami Salo made a good play along the boards to keep in an attempted clearing pass by Boston’s Andrew Ference and then got the puck toward the net. Chris Higgins touched it before Alexandre Burrows took a meek-looking shot that trickled past Tim Thomas at 12:12.

If the NHL’s justice system made any sense, Burrows wouldn’t have been playing: he bit the finger of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron in Game 1 on Wednesday and probably should have been suspended. Mike Murphy, the NHL executive in charge of disciplinary matters for the finals, ruled that he found no conclusive evidence that Burrows intentionally bit Bergeron’s finger.

Each team had 11 shots in the period.

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

-- Helene Elliott in Vancouver, Canada

Photo: Canucks left wing Alexandre Burrows, right, celebrates with teammate Mason Raymond after scoring in the first period in Game 2 on Saturday in Vancouver. Credit: Darryl Dyck / Associated Press

Malhotra practices, Hamhuis doesn't as Canucks prepare for Game 2 of Stanley Cup finals

Greetings from Vancouver, where for the first time in several days it isn’t raining. Even the locals have been complaining about the wet weather lately but the sun was shining Friday when the Canucks took to the ice at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Arena for practice.

The big news: Center Manny Malhotra, recovering from a devastating eye injury, practiced with his teammates but defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who suffered an undisclosed injury during the Canucks’ 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, wasn’t on the ice.

Malhotra, a faceoff specialist and skillful penalty killer, has come a long way from his March 16 injury to even be considered for duty in Game 2, to be played Saturday at Rogers Arena. He was expected to miss the rest of the season and his recovery has had its ups and downs: He was on the ice last week and had to take three days off because “I didn’t feel it proper to go on the ice,” he said.

He also said he was cleared for full contact Friday but wouldn’t predict if he will play Saturday.

Times guest blogger Bobby Ryan discusses Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals

 

Hello Times readers!

I thought Game 1 was most notably a battle of goaltenders. I thought it came down to them in the first game – which I guess is obvious with only one goal in 60 minutes!

I think a major determining factor in the series will be which goaltender is hotter. It was nice to see both of them play well. Tim Thomas was great last night even in a losing effort – he stonewalled them quite a bit. He kept them in the game, and I thought he was the best player on the ice.

The Bruins missed a couple of opportunities. They had a real good chance early in the game 5-on-3 to get a lead in a tough building, and that’s a real missed chance. The biggest concern I have for them is that their power play is running at like 7 or 8%. It’s a tribute that they have made it this far, but I don’t think they can win without a stronger power play. They aren’t going to beat Vancouver 5-on-5, they are just a stronger, deeper team.

Canucks' Burrows won't be suspended for Game 1 bite

Greetings from Vancouver, Canada, where it’s raining — what are the odds of that?

But it’s a good day for Vancouver forward Alex Burrows. He learned he won’t be fined or suspended by the NHL for his apparent chomp on the finger of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron at the end of the first period of Wednesday’s 1-0 Canucks victory in the opener of the Stanley Cup finals.

Burrows had a phone chat Thursday with Mike Murphy, the NHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations who is in charge of ruling on disciplinary matters. Afterward, Murphy said the league won’t impose any supplementary discipline against Burrows, who denied he had bitten Bergeron. The Bruins forward claimed he had a cut on his finger from Burrows’ bite.

“After reviewing the incident, including speaking with the on-ice officials, I can find no conclusive evidence that Alex Burrows intentionally bit the finger of Patrice Bergeron,” Murphy said in a statement.

The Canucks had an optional practice Thursday at the University of British Columbia. They were forced out of Rogers Arena by preparations for a concert that will be held there Friday. The Bruins will also practice at the university Thursday afternoon.

We’ll have more later from the practices.

-- Helene Elliott, in Vancouver, Canada

Bruins' Gregory Campbell finds himself in unusual spotlight

Much of the talk at the Bruins’ media session Wednesday centered on forward Gregory Campbell, whose father, Colin Campbell, has relinquished his role as the NHL's chief disciplinarian. The elder Campbell will remain a senior vice president of hockey operations but is expected to hand the task of deciding suspensions and fines to Brendan Shanahan, a former NHL player who is the NHL's vice president for hockey and business operations.

Colin Campbell has recused himself from ruling on matters in this series. Mike Murphy and Kris King, members of his staff, will handle disciplinary matters.

Gregory Campbell wasn't made available for interviews before the game, but his teammates said he has always kept his team and family concerns separate.

"I think it will be easy for him. Greg and his father, to me it seems like they separate their business and personal relationship very well," forward Daniel Paille said. "We see it amongst ourselves.

"I think the league does the right thing. When situations happen with our team, Mr. Campbell doesn't handle it. I think the league does it well."

Paille said Gregory was aware he would face charges of favoritism because of his father’s job. Those charges were rekindled when a blogger last year uncovered a series of scathing emails from Colin Campbell to Stephen Walkom, then the NHL's director of officiating, hinting at favorable treatment for his son.

By an interesting coincidence, Walkom is one of the referees for Wednesday’s Stanley Cup finals opener between the Bruins and Vancouver Canucks.

"I don’t think he lets it bother him," Paille said of his teammate. "I think he's played so many years now that he doesn’t let it bother him anymore and just enjoys the game."

More later, including Commissioner Gary Bettman's pre-series news conference.

-- Helene Elliott in Vancouver, Canada

Manny Malhotra out of Canucks' lineup; Colin Campbell no longer dean of discipline

Greetings from Vancouver, site Wednesday of the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Canucks skated Wednesday morning at Rogers Arena but the Boston Bruins opted to hold meetings at their hotel before meeting the press at noon. We’ll have some comments from the Bruins later.

The big issue was the absence for the second straight day of Canucks center Manny Malhotra, who had appeared to be making remarkable progress in his recovery from an eye injury but won’t play in Game 1. The fourth line is expected to consist of Alex Bolduc, Victor Oreskovich and Jeff Tambellini.

Before Canucks management confirmed to the Vancouver Province and other media that Malhotra will not play, Coach Alain Vigneault refused to be definitive.