Stanley Cup Finals 2011: Bruins Avenge Horton Injury, Win Monday Night Smackdown

The Boston Bruins got real angry, real quick and used that energy to extract humiliating revenge on the Vancouver Canucks, routing the Western Conference champs 8-1 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Bruins and their fans had reason to be upset upon returning home for Game 3 and Game 4. After Alex Burrows of the Canucks decided to have a mid-game snack in Game 1, the NHL deemed his bite on Patrice Bergeron's finger to not be deliberate, and he was allowed to play in Game 2, during which he scored twice, once in overtime, to lift the Canucks to a 2-0 series lead.

So apparently it's possible to pull a guy in, put your mouth around his finger, and close your jaw so your teeth sink into his finger—THROUGH THE GLOVES—and it's somehow not intentional? Bruins fans certainly felt cheated and were hoping to turn things around in Game 3.

Adding insult to injury in Game 2 was Maxim Lapierre going up to Bergeron and sticking his fingers to his mouth as if to say "bite me." This classless act of taunting led to Bruins' coach Claude Julien speaking out against the Canadian.

The game started off with intensity on both sides as both were looking to strike early.

However, it was the Canucks first strike that angered the entire TD Garden, especially the men on the Bruins bench.

Halfway through the first, Aaron Rome of the Canucks decided it was necessary to drop a shoulder into the head of Nathan Horton, who was not looking at the time, and who was no where near the puck. Horton went to the ground for several minutes and was stretchered off. Rome rightfully got a game misconduct.

From there, it just got ugly. Boston was going for goals, but also for blood and revenge.

As the Bruins gained momentum, they were fired up. After a near chance was saved by Roberto Luongo and Mark Recchi had taken a hard hit, the oldest man on the ice skated right up to Lapierre and shoved his fingers in his face, getting a large cheer out of the crowd.

Heading into the second period, the game was intense, but it was all-Bruins in no time. Andrew Ference scored 11 seconds into the period to put the B's up 1-0. Minutes later, Mark Recchi gave Boston a 2-0 lead on a Bruins' rarity, a power-play goal! Brad Marchand made it 3-0 halfway through with a Ray Bourque-style goal, top shelf, with the Bruins down a man. David Krejci capped off the second period scoring four minutes later.

The third period is where it got real good.

On top of five goals being scored, four to the good, 16 penalties and eight misconducts were issued. It was time for the Bruins to give the Canucks everything they deserved.

Andrew Ference and Daniel Sedin went at it after an icing. After touching the puck, Ference put an elbow up to Sedin, who took it in the arm, but flopped to the ground like a squirming fish out of water, pretending to be hit in the face. Ference did not like that. Once he got up, Sedin threw his arm around Ference's neck like he was choking him out and pulled the fiesty Bruin in close. Both received misconducts.

Shortly before adding a fifth from Danny Paille's shorthanded goal, Milan Lucic put Burrows to the ground, throwing punches at his defenseless head as he gave him what he deserved for his actions in Game 1 as well as during Game 3. Lucic of course received a misconduct, but so did Burrows. When things looked to be settling down before the restart, Ryan Kesler and Dennis Seidenburg went at it at center ice, both receiving misconducts.

After Jannik Hansen scored for Vancouver, Boston scored on their last three shots. Recchi, Chris Kelly and Michael Ryder, on a second power-play goal, put the puck in the net to cap off the 8-1 humiliation.

Game 4 is in Boston on Wednesday, with the Bruins feeling good. The TD Garden crowd will be amped up and ready to tear the Canucks apart. Not to mention the Bruins have all the momentum at the moment.

This series is just getting started, that is absolutely for sure!