You’ve heard the old saying about letting the sleeping dog lie? In the past two games of the Stanley Cup final, the Vancouver Canucks have learned that it goes double for Bruins.
Having won the first two games at home, the Canucks seemed to have the best-of-seven championship series under control – before defenseman Aaron Rome sent Boston forward Nathan Horton to the hospital with a vicious open-ice hit during the first period of Game 3. Since that point, the suddenly awakened Bruins have outscored Vancouver 12-1.
Rich Peverley scored twice, while Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder added a goal apiece as Boston followed up Monday’s 8-1 pounding of the Canucks with a 4-0 shutout in Game 4 on Tuesday at the TD Garden.
The second straight offensive outburst, backed by the 37-save effort of goalie Tim Thomas, sends the series back to the Pacific Northwest tied at two wins apiece. Game 5 is scheduled for Friday at the Rogers Arena.
Peverley, skating in place of Horton on the Bruins’ top line, got the only goal his team would need with a quick wrist shot between goalie Roberto Luongo’s pads at 11:59 of the first period.
Ryder and Marchand then broke the game open by scoring 2:18 apart midway through the second period to open a 3-0 lead before Peverley sent Luongo to the bench with an insurance marker at 3:39 of the third.
Luongo was replaced by backup Cory Schneider, who stopped nine shots without giving up a goal. But by then, the damage had been done thanks to his counterpart Thomas and the Bruins’ penalty killers. The Canucks are now just 1 for 22 with the man advantage after coming into the series with the NHL's best power play.
Game 5: at Vancouver, Friday, 5 p.m. ET (NBC, CBC, RDS)
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