Stanley Cup Finals 2011: 5 Things We Learned from Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Boston Bruins in electric fashion Saturday night at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Alexandre Burrows took a feed after Boston turned over the puck and waited out an aggressive Tim Thomas for an easy wrap around goal.
In the aftermath, there are five things that we have learned from Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
1) Tim Thomas Has Not Had His "A" Game
1 of 6Tim Thomas gave up two bad goals in Game 2. The first goal he gave up was a short side squeaker from inside the hash marks by Alexandre Burrows. This was a shot that Tim Thomas would stop nine times out of ten on any other given night.
The game winning goal was just a case of Tim Thomas being overaggressive. In that situation Burrows was coming down the side and not head on. Zdeno Chara was in hot pursuit and it looked as if Burrows was going to wait.
However, Tim Thomas got aggressive and made the first move and Burrows evaded him for the wrap around stuff in. Tim Thomas should have known better. When you are playing only mere seconds into the first overtime, you need to show restraint.
At the angle Burrows was coming he was not an imminent threat. Chara was on top of him, Thomas made the lunge, and Burrows faked him out.
Tim Thomas is going to need to bounce back as the Bruins head home to Boston.
2) This Has Been a Series of Seconds
2 of 6While Tim Thomas may have not had his "A" game this series, the games have been very close regardless. It has only taken mere seconds for the Canucks to score a goal that has changed the game and the series thus far.
Raffi Torres was in the right place at the right time when he scored with 17 seconds left in regulation of Game One.
Alexandre Burrows needed only 11 seconds to beat Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas to send the Canucks to Boston with a 2-0 series lead.
With a series between very two good teams all the time on the clock matters and both teams must realize it takes one second to score a goal.
3) If Vancouver Wins, This Cup Will Be Viewed with an Asterisk by Some Fans
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This photo will live in infamy for Boston Bruins fans if the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup.
After the end of Game 2, facebook, twitter, and hockey forums were full of complaints against the NHL and their decision to let Alexandre Burrows play in Game 2. They ranted that they would not recognize the Canucks as the champions if they go on to win.
A) This is the Stanley Cup Finals. To be suspended a massive offense must be committed. Thus far in the playoffs the NHL has been lax on penalties called in games, and discipline in general. There has been a "let them play" attitude adopted. Yes Burrows was in the wrong but it wasn't suspension worthy.
B) These same people neglect to realize that Nathan Horton, who scored the series winner in Game 7 for Boston, shouldn't have been allowed to play at all due to past precedents established.
Everyone is now familiar with the infamous beer dousing incident involving the Washington Capitals and John Tortorella. Because of that fan interaction, Tortorella was suspended. I would love to understand how Horton squirting water at a fan is any different.
Player, coach, referee, whatever, you are representing the NHL and your team and you must act accordingly. No one ever said hockey was a clean game but regardless, Boston fans will look at this series with an asterisk if they are not successful in their quest.
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4) Roberto Luongo Has Silenced His Critics Thus Far
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It was one thing for Roberto Luongo to lead the NHL in wins for a goaltender. It was another for him to be a nominee for the Vezina Trophy. It was another things for him to lead the Canucks to the Presidents Trophy crown.
Now, Roberto Luongo is playing in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in his career. He is 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals and the Canucks are on cloud nine.
In the Western Conference Quarterfinals, Luongo gave up a couple of goals in succession against the Blackhawks on way to a meltdown.
In Game 2, Luongo gave up two goals but kept his cool and the Canucks eventually tied and went on to win the game.
Love him or hate him, Luongo is playing hockey reminiscent of his 2010 Olympic performance. If Luongo keeps this level of play up, the Canucks could conceivably hoist the cup after Game 4 in Boston.
5) Boston Still Has a Legitmate Shot to Win the Cup
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I wouldn't place any bets or cancel any hotel reservations for Games 5 and 6 yet because Boston still has a legitimate chance to win this series. It won't be easy but it is always possible. Just ask their MLB counterparts that came back from a 0-3 deficit in 2004.
The Bruins have played well enough and have kept skating with the Canucks throughout the first two games of the series.
Game 1 was a tough loss for Boston and if Raffi Torres didn't score that goal the series could have been completely different.
Game 2's loss was a heartbreaker and another series changer.
Tim Thomas has proved that he is a good goalie and that he can flip the switch in a millisecond. The Bruins also have offensively gifted scorers in Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and great point shooters in Zdeno Chara and Tomas Kaberle.
With the Bruins returning home for the next two games, they can turn this series around and make this a Stanley Cup to remember.
Obligatory Statistic:
The Bruins, who haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1972, are down 0-2 in the finals for the fifth straight time. They are 0-7 all-time when trailing 0-2 in the finals.
Despite this statistic, if Thomas can stand on his head in Game 3 and 4 the Bruins can shock the Canucks and head back to Vancouver tied at two games a piece.
Comments, Questions, Concerns, Gripes?
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