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| Don Cherry's Floral Arrangement - Should Have Left It In The Vase |
[Bruins-Nucks] 4-0. Bruins win the series and get to hoist the Cup! What an awesome night for Thomas. To finish the season off with a shutout. It is stuff movies are made off. I just read he is the first goalie to win with a shutout whilst on the road and he is the fourth goalie in the history of the NHL to have a shutout in Game 7. The Bruins needed 21 shots to get four goals. The Nucks had 37 shots on goal and got none. Thomas made sure of that!
♦ I am always on the edge of my seat the first few minutes when the Bruins play. They have had some really bad first few minutes these Playoffs. So any time the Bruins do not get scored on in the first few minutes I know we are going to see a good game from them at least. The Nucks did get the first few shots on goal, but nothing special. Earlier games showed a much more energetic Nucks start, but looks like the Bruins have found a way to disrupt the fast Nucks play early on. The first goal sort of hit me unawares. Not a particularly interesting build up or a rush, but in itself a nice feed to Bergeron by Marchand. After the first I goal I was waiting for the Nucks to bring more energy to the ice, but fizzled out
♦ Second period started off interestingly enough. The Nucks seemed to be a bit more into the game and they were definitely hunting for a goal, but then Marchand twisted and turned and scored a marvelous goal. That was some nifty work. Recchi must have felt inspired because a few seconds later he broke free of the Nucks D and nearly scored a goal. He was darting across the ice like a young kid. Amazing to see this 43-year old guy display this type of energy and eagerness! Unlike after the 1-0, the Nucks actually amped up their game and started to be a bit more threatening in front of the Bruins' goal and Timmie was definitely called on for some top saves. The Nucks had one PP this game and perhaps pre-SC they would have used this opportunity to score and switch momentum. Instead, Bergeron scored a shorthanded goal and that made 3-0!
♦ If you were supporting the Bruins, the third period was a much less stressful event than the start of the previous two periods. A 3-0 does not mean you are safe, but it sure is confidence inspiring. This period was still exciting, it was after the final twenty minutes of the season, but the Bruins were just making sure they had good puck possession and a tight defence and the Nucks just could not muster up the necessary energy to create extra chances. And as time started to slip through their hands you could see the faces get sadder and sadder on the Nucks' bench. With three minutes to go, Luongo was pulled to add an extra attacker, but Marchand made sure that was punished straight away by scoring an empty-netter within seconds. And that was that. No usual last minute frenzy, it was just over and here and there you could see little celebrations starting
♦ Some extra kudos to my fave Bruins D-guys: Seidenberg & Chara. Both again put in most time on ice, 28:51 and 27:12 respectively. Chara actually made a few awesome saves there and Seidenberg had two assists
♦ I liked the almost 'don't care if you guys kill eachother but we are not going to hand out a lot of penalties'-approach the refs had to this game. The first penalty was dealt way back in the second period (Chara interference on Kesler) ... but some hits should have been punished though. A few stuck out:
1st period: Higgins on Chara, elbow to the head
3rd period: Timmie 'gently' pokes Hansen with his hockey stick ... could pass it off as an accident I suppose, but still, that was naughty ;)
♦ The standing ovation Thomas got was really nice
♦ Need I mention the riots that took place in Vancouver after the home team lost? I will just drop it. Because us true sports fans know that that crap has nothing to do with being a fan
♦ I called this is one right in my last prediction!
Well, that concluded a very interesting post-season. I feel a bit deflated. What to do next? How will we get through the Summer without watching our beloved hockey? I will have to figure out something ... for now, let me close this article with the Stanley Cup Presentation :)
