2011 Stanley Cup Finals: Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins series breakdown – Part 3
The series has begun and we have still not finished our discussion regarding the series breakdown between the two 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup finalists, Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Vancouver did not necessarily dominate Game 1
to win it as both teams performed spectacularly.
As mentioned in part two, defence will be the key to any team’s victory and both were hard on protecting their net from an offensive pressure.
It was Canucks in the end to be able to penetrate slightly better for that last minute goal for the win, but if compared, both teams performed extraordinarily in defending their end.
Raffi Torres emerged as the match-winner for Vancouver since he scored the first and only goal with 19 seconds remaining that earned Roberto Luongo his first shutout of the series with 36 perfect saves and washed away Tim Thomas’s hard work of blocking 33
of 34 shots.
Yes, defence really counted in the match, but it was also the ability of the offensive attacker to penetrate that worked.
Boston might have played at par with Vancouver guarding, but it was certainly behind in attacking which ultimately led to its loss.
Looking at a few other aspects which will really count during the series will let us expand our views on what might go on in the remaining games to be played.
Coaches: Advantage Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver’s coach, Alain Vigneault, has been with Canucks since the 2006-2007 season and has been slowly and steadily increasing his team’s performance by patiently observing their strengths and weaknesses.
A good coach must have patience and Vigneault has proved that he is truly one of the best in the league.
Canucks finally sparked in the 2010-2011 season and became known as one of the best teams in NHL.
Alain’s decision to recall a few players from Canucks’ farm league team, Manitoba Moose, to participate in the extremely tense NHL finals’ game was extraordinary and worked charmingly.
Vigneault might be one of the most underrated coaches in the league at the moment, but it does not faze him since he is definitely on his way to a Stanley Cup.
Special Teams: Advantage - Vancouver Canucks
Another trait that works in favour of Canucks with regard to its abilities on ice is that it has the greatest penalty kill percentage (80.6) and power-play percentage (28.3) as compared to Bruins that have capitalised on only five out of 61 added man advantages
throughout the series.
During the playoffs, taking advantage of these sorts of opportunities is the best way to turn the tables around or either secure the match for yourself which Boston simply is not capable of.
Why Will Vancouver Win
Canucks can only win if they continue its attacking onslaught and keep killing the power-play chances against them. Canucks need to use its star trio, the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler, to fully dominate Bruins on the offensive end and score goals.
Why Will Boston Win
If Boston can change around its special teams and start killing and taking advantage of power plays, it will have a greater chance at winning the series or at least staying alive against the vicious Canucks. Otherwise, we can expect to see them go down pretty
embarrassingly.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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