Stanley Cup Finals Preview

Boston Bruins
2010-2011 Record- 46-25-11-103, 1st place Northeast Division
Playoffs- Defeated Montreal 4-3, Philadelphia 4-0, Tampa Bay 4-3

Projected Game 1 Lines
Horton-Krejci-Lucic
Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi
Ryder-Kelly-Seguin
Paille-Campbell-Peverley

Chara-Seidenberg
Ference-Boychuk
McQuaid-Kaberle

Key Injuries- Stephen Kampfer (knee)

Starting Goalie- Tim Thomas (35-11-9/2.01/.938; 12-6/2.29/.929)
Top Scorers- Brad Marchand (21-20--41, +25; 6-6--12, +6), Nathan Horton (26-27--53, +29; 8-9--17, +10), David Krejci (13-49--62, +23; 10-7--17, +5), Milan Lucic (30-32--62, +28, 3-6--9, +9), Zdeno Chara (14-30--44, +33; 2-3--5, +11)

Coach- Claude Julien, 4th year with team, 183-103-46 regular season; 29-20 playoffs..this is the fifth time Julien has led a team to the postseason in 8 seasons of coaching, it is the first time he has been to the Stanley Cup, though he did coach the New Jersey Devils for their first 79 games before being fired in 2003; that team went on to defeat Anaheim in 7 games for the Cup that year.  The team has played well under Juliens system this season, leading to a Northeast Division Championship, as well as a first round victory over Montreal after falling down 2-0, then sweeping Philadelphia in the second round.  The system couldn't have been more effective in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as the team played 60 minutes of mistake-free hockey in a 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay.

Team Overview- Led by Tim Thomas in the first three rounds, has also gotten great contributions from their top two defensemen, Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, especially in the 7-game Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa.  The team also benefited greatly when they got Patrice Bergeron back from a concussion, while rookie Tyler Seguin was a sparkplug, with 6 points in the seven games of the Eastern Conference finals.

X-Factor- Team Defense..With the defensive game of the Boston Bruins at their best, they are a big reason of Tim Thomas' success.  In games 1, 2, 4, and 6, the Bruins allowed 20 goals between those four games.  This was a result of defensive breakdowns such as turnovers deep in their own zone, and allowing second chances to the Lightning.  The defense must play mistake free, avoid costly turnovers, and limit the second chances for the Canucks, and Tim Thomas will do the rest, as he is a goalie who almost always makes the initial save.

Vancouver Canucks
2010-2011 Record- 54-19-9-117, Presidents Trophy Winners
Playoffs- Defeated Chicago 4-3, Nashville 4-2, San Jose 4-1

Projected Game 1 Lines
D. Sedin-H. Sedin-Burrows
Raymond-Kesler-Higgins
Torres-Lapierre-Hansen

Hamhuis-Bieksa
Ehrhoff-Rome
Edler-Salo

Key Injuries- Mikael Samuelsson (lower body), Manny Maholtra (eye)

Starting Goalie- Roberto Luongo (38-15-7/2.11/.928; 12-6/2.29/.922)
Top Scorers- Ryan Kesler (41-32--73, +24; 7-11--18, +6), Daniel Sedin (41-63--104, +30; 8-8--16, -4), Henrik Sedin (19-75--94, +26; 2-19--21, -4), Christian Ehrhoff (14-36--50, +19; 2-9--11, -6), Alexandre Burrows (26-22--48, +26, 7-7--14, +4)

Coach- Alain Vigneault, 5th year with team, 236-133-41 in regular season, 29-23 in playoffs..First time in Vigneault's career that he has led a team to the Stanley Cup in five trips to the playoffs, four that have been in Vancouver (other in Montreal).  Has been very good in the regular season, leading the Canucks to four 100-point seasons, with this season resulting in a Presidents Trophy, but has been not as good in the playoffs, winning just 29 of 52 playoff games, and was bounced from the second round in all three playoff appearances with Vancouver preceeding this year.

Team Overview- A very front-loaded team that specializes in scoring goals, a high-octane offense that has prolific playmakers in Kesler, Burrows, and the Sedin twins.  On the blue line, they have one of the games best offensive defenseman in Christian Ehrhoff, who has 28-66--94 and is a +55 since taking his talents to the West Coast of Canada in 2009 following 5 seasons in San Jose.  Outside that, the four defensemen have averaged over 23 minutes of ice time per game, and should see more valuable minutes from Rome as he will be paired with Ehrhoff.  The postseason for the Canucks began kind of rocky, as they went to a game 7 with Chicago after having a 3-0 lead with the defending champs, and also had a tough series with Nashville that went to a game 6 before being decided, but made easy work of San Jose in the Western Finals, knocking them off in five games.

X-Factor- Ryan Kesler..Kesler is a big reason why this team is here, and is the best answer for Boston's Patrice Bergeron, with his 2-way style and success at the faceoff dot.  Played a big role in the second round making up for the lack of production from the Sedin twins, as they were shutdown by the defensive pairing of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber.  This is something that will most likely happen again, as Chara and Seidenberg will most likely be put on the Sedin twins.  Kesler will need to come up big once again.

Team Comparisons
Center- The center position is a strength of both teams, with Boston very deep at the position with Krejci, Bergeron, Kelley, Campbell, and Peverley, all serviceable centermen.  The Canucks should get Manny Maholtra back sometime during the series, which would provide a boost to the center unit that led the NHL in faceoff percentage in the regular season.  Advantage: Vancouver

Forwards- The Canucks have two very good wingers on the first line in Hart Trophy Finalist Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows, while the Bruins are very deep at the position, going four lines deep with serviceable forwards.  This is depth that Vancouver doesn't have, as they are more front-loaded with two explosive lines and two serviceable lines.  Advantage: Boston

Defense-  The Bruins have the best defenseman in the series in Chara, as well as Seidenberg, Boychuk, and Ference who are solid shut-down defensemen, and a great puck mover in Kaberle.  The Canucks have a defensive unit that values possesion and move the puck well, but play as physical as Boston.  Advantage: Boston

Goaltending- Tim Thomas has been hockey's best goaltender this year, while Luongo has been great as well.  Advantage: Even

Prediction- Bruins in 7