The NHL Championships – 2011

31 May 2011 by Hiland in 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Boston Bruins will visit the Vancouver Canucks for the first two of the best of seven games on June 1st and June 4th. The series will then turn to Boston for games three and four on June 6th and 8th.

Boston earned a spot in the finals with a hard fought series win over the dangerous Tampa Bay Lightning. Game seven was decided by a 1-0 score as goalie Tim Thomas and the stout Bruin defense were at their best.

Vancouver defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-1 to establish themselves as a heavy favorite in the finals. Vancouver will represent the West and Vancouver the East in what should be an excellent, hard-hitting finals.

The defensive pride of the Bruins is what carried the team to an unlikely road to the title series. Goaltender Tim Thomas has been consistent and has had some strong support, especially from 6’8” Zdeno Chara.

The Bruins defeated Montreal and nemeses Philadelphia before eliminating Tampa Bay. Chara has been a force in every game. At 6’8”, he is an unlikely captain for an NHL team. Chara is without question the leader of the Bruins and his defensive prowess will be tested by the tournament’s top seed, the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver is strong at both ends of the ice. The team ranked first in goals per game, first in goals allowed per game, first in power play scoring and third in power play defense. Those stats tell only half the Canucks story.

The Bruins numbers are not that strong. They rank 5th in goals scored, 2nd in goals against, 20th in power play scoring and 16th in penalty kills. This series features the NHL’s best two defensive teams.

The Canucks have plenty of depth and like the pace of play to be high. The Bruins are a little more cautious and have become familiar with biding their time. The team that controls the tempo and carries play will win this series.