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.

Times guest blogger George Parros on Game 2 of Stanley Cup finals

What a game last night! Just when I thought Boston was going to tie the series, Vancouver comes back and wins it in dramatic fashion. This must be tough to take for Boston. They had a heartbreaking loss in the first game in the last couple of seconds, which is tough to come back from. But they came out and played physical and had a great chance to win it. After Vancouver scored that second goal, I was surprised to see Boston come back . . . they really carried the play for the rest of the third period. When the home team ties the game up like that, I thought Boston would play pretty tentative. But they definitely had the upper hand in the second half of the third period.

The Bruins' Milan Lucic was a really physical player out there, which was awesome to see. I just love watching him play –- I think he’s an incredible force out there and he’s been playing some great hockey, too. Their top line has really impressed me too.

Obviously there was some debate as to whether Alexandre Burrows should have been suspended for his altercation with Patrice Bergeron. The league made their decision and obviously it's been a big story. He ends up being such an impact player in Game 2. So whether or not the right call was made, I thought Burrows was the star of the game. Scoring the first, assisting on the second and scoring the OT goal . . . he has really shined in the series.

It was great to see Manny Malhotra come back to play in Game 2. Anytime a character guy like that is back in the lineup –- and Manny is a great guy –- it’s going to bolster your team. You’re looking at an already potent Vancouver lineup, so to have someone come back like that, it’s definitely a moral victory and it certainly played a role in their win. I think Vancouver is just clicking right now. They’ve been the only team that’s been dominant all year.

If I’m playing for Vancouver, you obviously have to make a statement with the next game to keep the confidence. Going up 3-0 would be very hard for Boston to come back from. It would be huge for the Canucks to take that first game on the road. But I think Boston is playing very well and going home, they’re finally going to get some breaks. I don’t think this series is over by any means. It’s no time to play it safe if you’re Vancouver, especially on the road.

I think Boston is definitely going to fight back –– they’ve got too good of a team not to. It’s been an exciting series for sure and I’ll definitely be watching the rest of the way.  If they can win at least one of the next two, I won’t be surprised to see the series go back to Boston for Game 6. I think Boston wins Game 3, Vancouver takes Game 4, Boston wins Game 5 and Vancouver ices it in Game 6.

Enjoy the rest of the series! Over and out!

--GP

The Times is pleased to have Ducks enforcer George Parros blogging for us during the Stanley Cup finals. Parros has blogged in the past about life in the NHL.

Photo: George Parros skates during warmups before a game this winter. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / US Presswire

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

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

Stanley Cup finals, Game 1: Raffi Torres lifts Canucks to 1-0 victory over Bruins

With overtime a near-certainty in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, Raffi Torres scored with 19 seconds left in the third period to give the Vancouver Canucks a 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins Wednesday at Rogers Arena.

The crowd erupted in roars after Torres got the puck past an otherwise splendid Tim Thomas, set up perfectly by Jannik Hansen and the always gritty Ryan Kesler.

The goal ended a penalty-filled game that produced many good scoring chances but no goals until Torres beat Thomas from about 15 feet out. Roberto Luongo stopped 36 Boston shots to earn the shutout. Thomas stopped 33 shots.

The Canucks have won the opening game of each of their four playoff series this spring. Another good omen for them: Teams winning Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win the championship in 55 of 71 seasons (77%) since the NHL introduced the best-of-seven format in 1939.

The Canucks, who had to juggle their lineup to accommodate injuries all season, lost defenseman Dan Hamhuis four minutes into the second period to an undisclosed injury. Hamhuis, poised and steady, had flipped Boston’s Milan Lucic in a textbook hip check but appeared to have been hurt on the play.

The Canucks will have a few days to figure out what to do, given that Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday in Vancouver.

We'll have more on the game soon at latimes.com/sports

ALSO:

NHL restructures disciplinary department

Despite Stanley Cup drought, Canada isn't fully embracing the Canucks

-- Helene Elliott in Vancouver, Canada

Photo: Vancouver's Raffi Torres, center right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning goal in the closing seconds of the Canucks' 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday. Credit: Andy Clark / Reuters

Stanley Cup finals, Game 1: Boston 0, Vancouver 0 after two periods

The second period was much like the first: scoreless and with a succession of strange penalties being called.

But the Canucks suffered a potentially damaging blow when defenseman Dan Hamhuis suffered an apparent injury while hip-checking Boston's Milan Lucic early in the period. Hamhuis didn't return and no injury report was available.

The Bruins started the period with a power play as the result of a scrum at the end of the first period. Alex Burrows, who appeared to bite the gloved fingers of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, got a double minor for roughing while Bergeron got only a minor penalty. When Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa was sent off for high-sticking at 28 seconds the Bruins had a five-on-three advantage but wasted it.

The Canucks later had a five-on-three but only briefly, and they, too, couldn’t do much, though Tim Thomas made an excellent save on a wraparound attempt by Maxim Lapierre just over 13 minutes into the period.

Through two periods the Bruins had a 26-20 lead in shots on goal and each team had squandered six power plays.

Check back later for more from Rogers Arena.

ALSO:

NHL restructures disciplinary department

Despite Stanley Cup drought, Canada isn't fully embracing the Canucks

-- Helene Elliott in Vancouver, Canada

Photo: Boston defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, left, checks Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis during the second period of Wednesday's game. Credit: Darryl Dyck / Associated Press

Stanley Cup finals: Actress Cobie Smulders has perfect first-date suggestion ... hockey, eh?

 The best first-date opportunity in the world happens tonight: Vancouver vs. Boston in the Stanley Cup finals.

Or so says actress Cobie Smulders, whose Robin Scherbatsky character on “How I Met Your Mother” may make her the Vancouver Canucks' most visible fan (at least among the millions who watch the hit television show.)

Smulders, like the fictional Scherbatsky, grew up in Vancouver and has been a Canucks’ fan since she was a kid. She occasionally wears a Canucks jersey on the show and the writers waste no opportunity to tweak Canada and hockey.

But, Smulders said, hockey makes a good, uh, icebreaker for a date.