Before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, Ryan Kesler was asked how the Vancouver Canucks could get the rancid aftertaste of their two losses in Boston out of their system.
"It starts with the start," he said. "We want to come out and take the energy from the crowd."
In the first period, the Canucks pounded the Bruins with the same targeted aggression the Bruins displayed in Games 3 and 4. They dominated the Boston power play with deft kills that sapped the Bruins' momentum further. They established a strong defensive presence in the neutral zone as Roberto Luongo ? their much-maligned last line of defense ? looked razor sharp between the pipes.
The first 20 minutes set the tone, and the Canucks never relinquished that energy to the Boston Bruins. These were the wandering bears of the first two games of the series rather than the hungry grizzlies of the last two. These were the poised, win-at-all-costs Canucks of the first two games rather than the team that played the last two in Boston on their heels.
"We played with a little more confidence and waited for our breaks," said Max Lapierre.
At 4:35 of the third period, the Canucks got a break when Kevin Bieksa's well-planned bank off the end boards found Lapierre for the only goal of the 1-0 victory:
The rest of the victory was up to the defense ? and a redemptive performance from Roberto Luongo.
Luongo was pulled in Game 4, having given up 12 goals in two games in Boston. Much like it did in the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks, his benching seemed to clear his mind for the following game and signal the team in front of him that it needed to up its game.
The Canucks were dominant in the neutral zone, not allowing the Bruins any kind of offensive push. They were also great in their own zone, not allowing the Bruins to establish a forecheck, and took advantage of a Canucks defense missing Dan Hamhuis and Aaron Rome.
Luongo saw pucks. Luongo stopped pucks. The Bruins offense went ice cold and has now been shut out twice at Rogers Arena.
"Everybody in our dressing room and around our organization knows about Roberto's character and his competitiveness and how he prepares himself. He went out tonight and he played a great game for us," Coach Alain Vigneault said.
"At the end of the day, in the two games in Boston, a lot of attention was placed on Roberto but it was our whole team."
The Bruins didn't necessarily lose because of their power-play failure in the first period ? they made the Stanley Cup Final without the benefit of a functioning power play this postseason.
But along with pounding the Bruins in the first 20 minutes, the penalty kills gave Vancouver both a defiant streak (because Boston was getting all the calls) and a boost of confidence in shutting down an offense that posted 12 goals in two games. There's no question that Luongo's five shorthanded saves in the first helped him establish a rhythm early.
Like we said earlier: It was win at all costs for the Canucks tonight. They hit (47-27 over Boston), they skated, they blocked shots, they took chances, they dove, they embellished, they killed, they won draws, they took the puck away (15 times to the Bruins' 6) and they have pushed the Bruins to an elimination game with their first Stanley Cup title on the line.
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