2011 Stanley Cup Final: 6 Reasons the Boston Bruins Will Win the Stanley Cup

The Boston Bruins are going to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1990 after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals Friday night.

The Vancouver Canucks stand in the Bruins way in their quest to win the team's first Stanley Cup since 1972. The Canucks have been resting for a few days after beating the San Jose Sharks in a quick five game victory in the West Finals.

Vancouver has never won a Stanley Cup, and has not been to the finals since 1994 when they were defeated by the New York Rangers in seven games.

These two teams are evenly matched in most facets of the game and played one game against each other in the regular season, a 3-1 Bruins win in February.

This year's Cup Finals is sure to be a great series. Let's look at six reasons the Bruins will defeat the Canucks and return Lord Stanley's Cup to Boston for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Milan Lucic Is Playing Well and Gets To Go Home vs. Canucks

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TAMPA, FL - MAY 25: Milan Lucic #17 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his first period goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at St Pete Times Forum on May 25, 2011 in Tamp

Milan Lucic played very well in the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals versus Tampa Bay after playing poorly in the first two rounds.

Lucic has been using his physical frame to excel on the forecheck and throw his weight around in front of the net.

He only has two goals this postseason after scoring 30 in the regular season, but his presence on the Bruins top line has been immense.

Lucic has passed well and has won the battles in the corners to help linemates David Krejci and Nathan Horton lead the Bruins offensive attack.

Lucic is from Vancouver and played great in the two team's only meeting this season, a February 26 win for Boston in Vancouver.

He scored one goal and dished out two assists in the game, helping Boston to one of their best wins of the year.

Tim Thomas Is Having a Historic Playoffs

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BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 1 to 0 in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 27, 2011 in Boston, Massach

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas is a Vezina Trophy finalist for 2011, an award that is given to the NHL's best goalie.

In the playoffs, Thomas has not skipped a beat. He was spectacular in the first two rounds of the postseason, and while he struggled at times against Tampa Bay, he came up with several great performances to lead the Bruins to the Cup Finals.

Thomas broke the NHL record for save percentage in a season this year, and his play will be huge against the Canucks.

Vancouver has a great offense with many weapons, but Thomas will be up to the challenge. In their only game against Vancouver this season, Thomas stopped 27 of 28 shots and was named the second star in the game.

Thomas has had a great season, and is the Bruins MVP so far this postseason. He will play well against Vancouver and lead the Bruins to the Cup. 

Boston's Abysmal Power Play Is Not a Major Concern

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TAMPA, FL - MAY 25: David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his third period goal with teammates as Dwayne Roloson #35 of the Tampa Bay Lightning reacts in front of the goal in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanle

The Bruins power play this postseason has been historically bad. They have the fewest power play goals of any team in NHL history entering the Stanley Cup Finals.

Bruins coach Claude Julien has gone through many different line combinations and scheme changes, but the results have been poor throughout.

So how have the Bruins survived? They are the best 5-on-5 team in the NHL, and they have a great penalty kill.

The Bruins killed penalties very well in the first two rounds of the playoffs against the Canadiens and Flyers, and versus Tampa Bay, they continued the success until Game 6.

Boston has the ability to score goals at even strength better than anyone, and with their penalty kill playing well, they can limit their opponent's power play effectiveness.

Bruins goalie Tim Thomas is also playing amazing this postseason, and when he's not letting goals past him, the Bruins aren't under pressure to score four or five goals in a game.

The Bruins Defense Will Contain the Sedin Twins

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - MAY 24: Henrik Sedin #33 of the Vancouver Canucks controls the puck as teammate Daniel Sedin #22 looks on in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals against the San Jose Sharks during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Arena o

Henrik and Daniel Sedin are two of the best players in the NHL, both great passers and scorers. The Bruins must contain these two to win the Stanley Cup, and it won't be easy.

Luckily for the Bruins they have several good defenseman, including the best d-man in the NHL, captain Zdeno Chara.

Chara is the tallest player in league history, standing at 6-foot-9. He has the longest stick in the NHL, too and uses it to poke check very effectively.

Chara also is a physical behemoth and can't be knocked off the puck or beaten in a physical scrum. He's a unique player who will surely be on the ice every time there Sedin twins are.

Dennis Seidenberg is Chara's defensive linemate and has played amazingly this season. Seidenberg is a great all-around defenseman who is arguably the Bruins defensive MVP so far this postseason.

The Bruins are more than equipped to handle the Sedin twins, and if the Canucks don't get great performances from the two, they will be in major trouble. Their offense hinges on the Sedin twins' play.

The Bruins Have Too Much Depth Offensively

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - FEBRUARY 26: Alexandre Burrows #14 of the Vancouver Canucks jumps out of the way of a shot as the puck sails over the head of goalie Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins during the third period in NHL action on February 26, 2011 at Roge

The Bruins have four lines that can be effective in a game; most teams cannot say that. The top line of David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton is perhaps the best all-around line in hockey.

Krejci is the playmaker, Lucic is the physical power forward and Horton has eight goals in his first career postseason.

This line can beat you in so many ways, and the same can be said for the second line.

Patrice Bergeron is the team's best all-around player, and his great passing and two-way play helps linemates Brad Marchand and veteran Mark Recchi play well together.

The third line has rookie forward Tyler Seguin, who played very well against Tampa Bay. His speed and energy really creates problems for opposing teams. He is joined on the third line by sniper Michael Ryder and the slick Rich Peverley.

The Bruins fourth line is also very good and kills penalties extremely well. Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille are two of the better penalty killers in the NHL.

The Bruins have so much depth on each line, and each one has players who bring multiple skills to the attack.

Every Boston line has a player who can score, hit and pass.

Roberto Luongo Has Yet to Prove Himself

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - FEBRUARY 26: Goalie Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks plays the puck ahead of Gregory Campbell #11 of the Boston Bruins during the first period in NHL action on February 26, 2011 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia,

Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo is one of the best in the game and is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy alongside Boston's Tim Thomas.

In his career, Luongo's struggles in the playoffs have made people think he may be a bit overrated. This season Luongo helped the Canucks avert a colossal first round defeat to Chicago, and he played well against Nashville and San Jose.

This is Luongo's first Cup Finals, and there is no telling how the pressure will get to him. He does not have the defensive skill in front of him that Tim Thomas does, and he gives up more soft goals than Thomas.

Among the goalies who have played at least seven games in the 2011 NHL playoffs, Luongo is sixth in save percentage.

Luongo has to play well every night for the Canucks to win, but with the stakes so high, the pressure may get to him.