Murphy on NHL: How Vancouver can beat Boston
Posted January 6, 2012 2:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Vancouver Canucks are going to say all the right things leading up to their rematch against the team that crushed their dreams last spring.
It’s just another game… It’s worth no more points than any other game… blah, blah, blah.
It may be not worth more in the standings than Wednesday’s game versus the Minnesota Wild was, but I do know this: Saturday’s game versus the Boston Bruins means more to the Canucks than the home team.
Let’s not forget how badly the Canucks were crushed in Beantown in the Cup Final. Boston outscored Vancouver 17-3 in the three games at the TD Garden. Boston chased Roberto Luongo multiple times and ran the Canucks right out of the rink.
So, the Canucks need to prove that they can win in the toughest of environments just in case they are lucky enough to return to the Final this season and face the B’s.
Let’s be honest here. The Canucks may be on a pretty good run since the beginning of November, but the Bruins are playing at a whole different level. With their 9-0 dismantling of the Calgary Flames Thursday night, the Bruins have now scored 15 unanswered goals. Even more impressive? Boston has scored six or more goals in 10 of its last 26 games.
The scary thing is, the defending Cup champs are even better defensively. Boston’s goal differential is +69 (nearly twice that of Vancouver, which ranks third in the NHL) thanks mainly to the fact that Tim Thomas, Tuukka Raask and company have surrendered only 69 goals so far. The Canucks have given up 30 more, albeit in four more games.
So what do Canucks fans need to see from their team on Saturday? They surely aren’t going to win a street fight, pillow fight, or any fight against Boston. Not with the likes of Zdeno Chara, Shawn Thornton, Milan Lucic and Adam McQuaid on the other side. What the Canucks cannot do, however, is back down.
Now, I’m not suggesting that Daniel Sedin drop the gloves if Brad Marchand repeatedly punches him in the face. But Sedin should at least get the gloves up, or someone else should get in there and sort Marchand out.
The Canucks must also use their speed and finish their checks at every turn. Ryan Kesler, Maxim Lapierre, Chris Higgins, Jannik Hansen and Dale Weise must get under the Bruins’ skin by hitting them at every turn. Try to make Boston take penalties, and then make them pay on the power play — something the Canucks were unable to do in the final.
Finally, by the time this hits SPORTSNET.CA, we may already know Vancouver’s starter for Saturday’s game. And is there any doubt it’s going to be Roberto Luongo? And it should be. Heck, Rask has won his last five starts (three shutouts with a ridiculous GAA of 0.23 and save percentage of .970), and there is no chance he starts versus Vancouver.
The Canucks will not try to hide Luongo in this situation. He’s been their best player the last two games, and they have to thrown him in there to try and exorcize the Gahden demons. Sink or swim Roberto: it’s up to you.
