Bruins must reverse home trend in Game 7
The hockey sticks were loaded on the plane. The goalie pads were placed in the baggage compartment. The skates were stowed on board.
What about the aggressive play that brought three dominant victories at home? The Bruins hoped that also made the 2,500-mile trip to Vancouver in search of hockey's biggest prize in a stirring Stanley Cup Finals.
"We have to play the same way as we do at home," David Krejci said after the Bruins forced Game 7 with a win Monday night and before they left on their flight yesterday.
But the road team has lost all six games. The Canucks' victories have been by a goal -- 1-0, 3-2 and 1-0. The Bruins' wins have been blowouts -- 8-1, 4-0 and 5-2. The totals: Boston 19, Vancouver 8.
Somehow, the Bruins must bring the energy and physical play that were missing from the Game 5 shutout loss in time for tonight's finale. The fans will be their enemies, rooting for the first Cup in the Canucks' 40-year history and against the Bruins' quest for their first in 39 years.
"It's kind of the same thing as here," said Krejci, the NHL playoff leader with 12 goals and 23 points. "Every hit they do, or every shot, the crowd's pretty loud there. So try to get the first goal and go from there."
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara can't figure out why the road team hasn't won.
"I can't really explain it," he said. "It just seems we play better at home. On the road, we have some lapses, do some things wrong and do some things right. You have to pay attention for 60 minutes."
Another oddity: During the regular season, the Bruins had a better record on the road than at home.
There has been one constant as the Finals have shifted from one side of North America to the other several times.
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas has excelled in every game -- roaming from the crease to cut down angles, diving forward to pounce on pucks. He is the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy given to the playoff MVP. Thomas has allowed only eight goals during the Finals.
The Canucks' goaltending has been unpredictable. The same goalie who has two shutouts at home was pulled from two games in Boston and allowed eight goals in the one he finished.
So which Roberto Luongo will show up in Game 7? "He's able to shake games off like it's nothing," said Brad Marchand, who started Boston's onslaught of four goals in 10 minutes Monday night. "You know he's bounced back so many times."
Raymond sidelined. Canucks forward Mason Raymond will miss Game 7 and possibly the start of next season with a vertebrae compression fracture. He suffered a back injury early in Game 6 Monday night when Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk checked him into the boards.
