The Boston Bruins are the 2011 Stanley Cup Champions. Just like fellow Eastern Conference member Pittsburgh Penguins, they were able to overcome a 3-2 series deficit and defeat the favored Western team in Game 7 on the road.
Tim Thomas- the Conn Smythe Award winner for Playoff MVP, did nothing but shine throughout the playoffs. He was the only goalie to make it past the first round to not get pulled during the course of the game. Just like Luongo, he had two shutouts in the Stanley Cup Final. Frank McCool (Toronto) and Harry Lumley (Detroit) in 1945 was the last time both goalies had more than one shutout in the championship series. The difference is that Luongo played like total crap in most of the other games as he was pulled twice during the series. Thomas is the second American to win the Conn Smythe, joining Brian Leech in 1994. Thomas also won three Game 7s during the playoffs: overtime against Montreal in the first round, the conference final against Tampa Bay and last night against Vancouver.
In the 4-0 victory, the Bruins were led by Patrice Bergeron who scored twice in the final game of the season. The first goal came at 14:27 of the first period when Bergeron manged to slap home a shot that went through what seemed like a tunnel of legs. Roberto Luongo didn’t get a chance to react to the puck as he wasn’t expecting a shot to go just to his right. Brad Marchand earned the assist.
The Bruins scored a pair of second period goals to put the game nearly out of reach. The B’s second goal came at 12:13 of the middle frame when Marchand caught Luongo out of position and was able to score a wrap-around goal. His goal was assisted by Mark Recchi and Dennis Sidenberg.
The final nail in the coffin came late in the second when Boston scored on a breakaway while shorthanded. Bergeron was being chased by Christian Ehrhoff and was brought down in front of Luongo. The official had his hand raised to signal a penalty but the momentum of the players crashing into Luongo was enough to knock the puck loose and into the net. The goal came with less than 2:30 remaining in the second period and the Bruins were 22+ minutes away from winning the Stanley Cup.
The final goal was an empty netter from Marchand at 17:16 of the third period. He finished the game with two goals, just like Bergeron. Thomas earned his fifth career playoff shutout and second of the series with 37 saves. Luongo allowed three goals on 20 shots. Thomas performed like a brick wall in this season’s playoffs. With 37 more saves in Game 7, Thomas now owns the NHL record for most saves in the postseason (798) and a Stanley Cup Final. He allowed only eight goals in the Final and became the first goalie in NHL history to win Game 7 with a shutout on the road. He is only the fourth goalie in history to post a shutout in Game 7.
The Bruins also avenged the way their season ended last year when they choked away a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 lead in Game 7 when losing to the Philadelphia Flyers. The 2011-12 NHL season is set to begin in 110 days. Keep checking the site during the off-season for the latest in coaching changes, player transactions, and news all around the world of hockey.
Hats off to the B’s…………..
PS………way to go Vancouver rioting in your own city…
I hope Hope Solo of the US Women’s Soccer Team performs like a brick wall if possible during the 2011 Women’s World Cup Soccer final this Sunday against the Japanese and that Japan doesn’t even score a single goal at all.
[…] who is often the target of fan scorn and is audibly booed at major appearances (such as the Stanley Cup Finals where he presents the trophy to the captain of the winning team), still makes only a fraction of […]