Bruins Now Have To Win In Vancouver
BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Bruins are one win away from a Stanley Cup Championship.
But in order to reach the Hockey Graceland, they will have to do something they have yet to do this postseason: win in Vancouver.
"It's strange," Bruins leading scorer David Krejci said of Boston going winless north of the border. "I know we dominate when we play at home and they beat us over there. Game 7, it's the last game for both teams. We have to go up there and play as hard as we can and that's all we can do."
"I can't really explain it," said Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara after their 5-2 Game 6 win. "It seems we put up better games at home. On the road we had some collapses and things that we didn't do right... It's one of those things that you have to pay attention for 60 minutes and play with the attitude (there is) nothing to save it for."
The Bruins have outscored the Canucks 17-3 in the TD Garden, but have scored just two goals in three games out west. They have been slow and sloppy at Rogers Arena and can never find the same rhythm that gives them so much success at home.
Now the Bruins have one shot at turning it all around and they expect to do just that in Game 7.
"It's getting to our game and playing with the energy that you need to," said 21-year-verteran Mark Recchi. "We've got to go do it on the road for one game now. We've done it at home. We haven't done it as well in their building. We've done it in spurts. More so the first two games we did it in spurts there. But in Game 5, we were really inconsistent in that area and we're going to have to put together a full 60-minute game."
"You know, to realize your ultimate goal, your dream, you know, I think guys are going to be willing to do it on both sides and it's going to be a heck of a game," Recchi added.
Bruins Must Win Road Game Now
"We've got to be hungrier than we have been the last three times in Vancouver and want to put some pucks at the net and get yourself hungry around that net area," said Bruins coach Claude Julien.
"We're going to have to play better obviously than we have the last few times in that building if we're going to be successful," said forward Shawn Thornton. "They've played really well, but I think we have more to offer. Everyone is going to have to bring everything they have for one last game."
The Bruins have actually out-shot the Canucks in both of their shutout losses, 36-34 in Game 1 and 31-25 in Game 5, but many were rushed or blasts from deep. They have put little pressure on Luongo in front of the net, and have not been as physical on either end of the ice.
The Bruins, who had a better record on the road than at home during the regular season, know how to win away from Boston. Now they just have to prove it with everything on the line.
"We just have to relax. If you look at the last three games up there, we played sort of tense," said Milan Lucic, who scored his fifth goal of the playoffs Monday night. "We weren't making the same plays we were here at home. We just have to relax and focus on our game plan, it will give us success."
"We know it's going to be tough in Vancouver and we know it's not going to be easy," said Michael Ryder, who has eight postseason goals. "It's all about getting to the net, getting traffic and outworking their defensemen to get to the net to get those opportunities."
98.5 The Sports Hub is the only local station to listen to every game of the Stanley Cup Finals. Coverage begins an hour before each game with the Bruins Pregame show hosted by Dave Goucher & Bob Beers. Game 7 will also be simulcast on WBZ NewsRadio 1030am.
