Bruins DieHard: Leave It All Out In Franchise's 1st Stanley Cup Game 7
BOSTON (CBS) - Nothing like a fresh start at home with your friends and family there to support you.
That's just what the Boston Bruins got last night as they had the backing of their Honorary Captain, former player, coach and General Manager Milt Schmidt waving the Bruin Rally Towel to get the TD Garden crowd roaring. Rene Rancourt only had to mouth the words, although I am sure he was singing, to the Star Spangled Banner as the audience provided the loud voice which if it didn't bring chills to your bone, then nothing would.
The fireworks would begin five and half minutes into the game and wouldn't stop for the next four minutes as the Bruins lit up Roberto Luongo with three blasts and Cory Schneider with one to blitzkrieg the Vancouver Canucks and send the crowd into another frenzy and take away just about all the nervous energy that had been building all day!
Steve Burton With Milan Lucic After Game 6
Brad Marchand had opened the scoring at 5:31 sending a scorching wrist shot, short side over the glove of Luongo. Milan Lucic sent a slapper that pooped through Luongo's legs.
Canucks Coach Alain Vigneault would pull Luongo at the 8:35 minute mark of the first after Andrew Ference scored the third goal, a power play tally.Three goals in 3:35 and the crowd serenading the goaltender with LOO-ON-GO chants to obviously "pump up his tires" because at that point, he seriously needed something.
When scoring first in these playoffs, Boston is 11-1 which shows you where their head is at when they get the lead. The Bruins would keep attacking, something that was lacking in all three games in Vancouver. The Penalty kill was oh-so-effective as it has been all playoff year-long.
Read/Watch: Bruins Now Have To Win In Vancouver
Tim Thomas (Conn Smythe Winner regardless) was again a brick wall stopping everything thrown his way and teammates clearing rebounds he couldn't stifle. Thomas made 36 saves tying him with former Canucks goaltender Kirk McLean for saves in one playoff year with 761, a record he will own with his first stop Wednesday in Game 7.
Thomas' goaltending is about as good, no make that better than any goaltending that I've ever seen in a Stanley Cup Final and trust me, I've seen a lot of great goaltending! This was the game the Bruins needed last Friday and they will need again on Wednesday in British Columbia.
The National Hockey League season comes to a close Wednesday night in Vancouver as the Stanley Cup Finals come to its finale with a seventh game. In Bruins Stanley Cup Final history, they have never played a seventh game. Well, now they are about to play their third in the last month and a half! Historically, home teams have the edge in Cup Final game seven's posting a 12-3 record and one of those losses is the Canucks losing to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in 1994.
Listen: Dave Goucher Talks B's Forcing Game 7 on Toucher & Rich
Boston hasn't played bad in Vancouver, but they have not played like they have at home. It'll be time to lay it all out on the ice because as cliché-ish as it is, there really are no tomorrows and you are this close to what it's all about!
One more time… Go Bruins!!!
Ric Duarte has covered hockey and the Bruins for various media outlets since 1986. You can follow Ric at BruinsDieHard.com and at twitter @bruins_diehard.
