NHL Game 5 Pick: Bruins Seemingly In Control Of Series Against Canucks
Friday, June 10, 2011
By Gordon P. Quinn
The Canucks left Vancouver in control - and return home in tatters. Two disastrous games in Boston has the Vancouver Canucks level with the Boston Bruins at two games apiece in the Stanley Cup final. Game 5 goes Friday night at Rogers Arena, and Vancouver fans are undoubtedly wondering which Canucks team will show up - the one that dominated the first two games at home although the score tell another story, or the club that was outscored 12-1 in Beantown.
Everything went wrong for the Canucks in Boston. Goaltender Roberto Luongo suffered his second meltdown of the postseason, surrendering 12 goals in just over five periods before giving way to backup Cory Schneider. The offense couldn't muster anything against Boston netminder Tim Thomas, whose 38-save performance was the highlight of Boston's 4-0 triumph Wednesday night.
The Canucks have opened as 200-moneyline favorites on Bet Online Sportsbook’s Live NHL Game 5 Odds.
The Canucks even lost a defenseman when Aaron Rome was suspended for the remainder of the final for knocking Bruins forward Nathan Horton out of the series. Vancouver now looks to regroup at home, where it has gone 9-3 so far in the postseason.
A series that looked like it might be a duel between Vezina Trophy candidates Thomas and Luongo has suddenly become ridiculously one-sided in Thomas's favor. The 37-year-old netminder has surrendered just five goals in the series and was at his best in Game 4, keeping Vancouver's high-powered offense off the scoresheet for just the second time in the playoffs.
Boston got a pair of goals from Rich Peverley, who was sensational in Horton's spot on the top line. If the Bruins can steal a Game 5 victory in Vancouver, history will be on their side heading into Game 6 - they're 40-8-8 at home all-time against the Canucks.
Nobody is hot for Vancouver - least of all Luongo, who may be on a short leash in Game 5. Bruins F David Krejci had a pair of assists Wednesday to wrest the playoff scoring lead away from Vancouver's Henrik Sedin. Krejci has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 22 games.
Both teams went 0-for-4 with the man advantage in Game 4. Vancouver is now a dismal 1 for 20 on the power play in the series.
Despite the Canucks’ all-systems failure in Boston, the melting of their hard drive in an aggregate 12-1 loss over two games in which Vancouver’s entire team was outscored by opposition penalty killers and the Bruins goalie looked like a six-by-four-foot sheet of Kevlar, the greatest danger before Game 5 Friday is hopelessness. The bad games are more difficult to leave behind, especially when nearly everyone on the team is trying to forget the same nightmare. It's not something the Canucks' sleep doctor can fix.
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The Pick: Boston Bruins
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aaron rome - boston bruins - cory schneider - david krejci - henrik sedin - nathan horton - rich peverley - roberto luongo - rogers arena - stanley cup final
