If the first two games in Boston were any indication, it will be a chore for Vancouver to close out the Stanley Cup Final on the road. In fact, the first two games may make this an impossible game to win for the Canucks.

Looking at the situation there isn’t much of a difference. Vancouver recaptured the momentum in game five, their goalie found his swagger and the penalty kill regained form. Not to mention, the team stopped acting like a bunch of hormonal teenagers and just played hockey in game five. Boston returns home on their heels and in a must-win situation. Add to that their power play continues to be a bugaboo.

The only difference that lies in the weeds for game six is the mental factor. The Bruins have to play a flawless game in order to force a game seven. The Canucks also know they are one win away and 60 good minutes will grant them Lord Stanley’s Cup. All the players will say “we just have to forget about it and play our game” or “this is just another game, we just need to go out and win it.” That is all fine and dandy, but they are certainly thinking of what lies at the end of 60 minutes. How will it affect the game? I can’t say. I just know they are huffing grass if they haven’t started sweating a little about the prospect of this game. Continue reading →

Aaron Rome delivered a monsters hit to Nathan Horton at the Vancouver blue line last night. The hit left Horton unconscious on the ice and Rome was ejected.

The fallout is this: Horton will miss the remainder of the Finals with a severe concussion and Rome will miss the remainder of the Finals with a four-game suspension.

I think the NHL’s punishment is appropriate. Rome left his feet and hammered a guy way too late. The result was a serious injury and Rome will now pay the price.

A lot of people seem to think the four-game ban isn’t enough and i have to disagree. I don’t think this was a hit to the head, nor was it blind side. Face it people, when the players are skating AT each other there is not a blind side. Sure Horton was vulnerable but it wasn’t a blind side hit. I do agree that the hit was far too late and that by leaving his feet Rome was putting Horton in a position to be injured.

So Rome deserved a suspension and he got one. He will not play in the rest of this series and that is fair. There is a theory that playoff games count double when dealing with suspensions, so the critics can rest with the fact that Rome is suspended for eight games, technically speaking. Personally, I think that theory is a load of garbage. Four games is four games, period.

However, this was the exact length the guy deserved. There is no previous history with the guy, in fact he has been the victim twice this season. So don’t hate on he discipline system on this one. Had they only given him one or two games thee would be a case, but missing the remainder of their run is all Rome needed to be given.

This topic has been rehashed far too many times. But the fact of the matter is Alex Burrows should not have played in game two of the Stanly Cup Finals. However, he did and he had a very small impact on the game.

I am a Canucks fan, have been for a while now (didn’t jump on the bandwagon this year). I wanted Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler shipped to Buffalo at least three years ago. This is a team I have a vested interest in, I still think it is a sham that Burrows was able to play. We can all admit he bit Patrice Bergeron’s finger, there is no doubting that one. Most people can probably admit he should have been suspended for the infraction. I also think it is safe to assume that a vast majority of hockey fans think it is brutal that the NHL didn’t give him a single game for chomping down on Bergeron’s channel changing digit.

I will admit when I saw the incident live I conceded that he could get away with the bit because it looked like he was attempting to pull Bergeron’s hand out of his mouth rather that ingesting it. Still, there is little evidence to show he didn’t bit the guy and he should have gotten at least one game. Here lies the problem.

Even with Colin Campbell, the previously assumed culprit of the NHL’s wishy-washy discipline, out of the decision making process, the NHL still got it wrong. The same goes for Nathan Horton not getting suspended for throwing a water bottle at a Tampa fan (even if he/she deserved it). Add to that his borderline headshot on Steve Downie. Horton probably shouldn’t have played in game seven of the ECF and he scored the clinching goal. Hell, Andrew Ference went out of his way to knock Jeff Halpern in the face during the Bruins’ series with the Habs. Ference ended up having a say in the outcome of that game too.

It seems as if the NHL isn’t capable of drawing that line. They are afraid of banning their stars and they’re equally afraid to drastically affect the outcome of a game or asides with a ruling. Unfortunately they are doing exactly that be being consistently inconsistent. Perhaps Brendan Shanahan will be able to bring some stability to this process, because now it is nothing short of a train wreck.

The 2011 Stanley Cup Finals will likely be decided by one thing: the Bruins ability to play tight, defensive hockey. If the Canucks are able to wheel and deal they will be very successful. If the Bruins are able to check the Canucks’ top scorers, the Bruins ability to score five-on-five will win the series.

A lot will be made of the goaltending match up. Tim Thomas will likely be the Vezina Trophy winner and Roberto Luongo has forever been branded as the guy who can’t win the big one. Thomas had his troubles against Tampa and their firepower while Luongo has given up a few bad goals as he has recovered from a rough first round quite well. Continue reading →