y Cup Finals in 2008 and 09. Detroit won the first series in six ga

Posted in IYH Forums by lavender123456 at 00:59, Jun 23 2014

(Sports Network) - The Stanley Cup Final will finally get underway this evening in Vancouver, as the Canucks host the Boston Bruins in Game 1 at Rogers Arena. Both clubs have had plenty of time to rest for this best-of-seven series since winning conference titles. The Western Conference champion Canucks have been off since ousting San Jose from the postseason on May 24. Boston has been out of action since beating Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday. The Canucks, who have never won a title, were last in the Cup Finals in 1994 when they were bested in seven games during a classic series with the New York Rangers. The road back to the Stanley Cup Finals has been a long and tough one for the Vancouver franchise, as the club never made it past the second round between 94 and this spring. But the path the Canucks have taken in this years postseason has gotten progressively easier. Alain Vigneaults club blew a 3-0 lead to Chicago in the opening round before winning the series in Game 7. The Canucks then ousted Nashville in six games in Round 2 before beating San Jose in five tests to earn the franchises third conference title. The Canucks used an excellent series from the Sedin twins and goaltender Roberto Luongo to make quick work of the Sharks. Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin compiled an amazing 12 points in the conference finals, notching one goal and 11 assists over the five games. Thanks in large part to that monster series, last years Hart Trophy winner is leading all NHLers with 21 points (2 goals, 19 assists) in 18 games this postseason Identical twin Daniel, meanwhile, notched two goals and four assists against the Sharks and has eight goals and eight helpers in the postseason. Between the pipes, Luongo has gone a long way this spring towards dispelling the notion that he doesnt have what it takes to win big games. The 32-year- old netminder had a rough series in the opening round against Chicago, but it has been pretty much smooth sailing since. The Montreal native and 2011 Vezina Trophy finalist is 12-6 with a 2.29 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in 18 playoff games this year. Vancouvers Manny Malhotra has been out since March 16 with an eye injury and it appears the veteran centerman will not be ready to return for Game 1. Malhotra was hit in the left eye with a puck and although the injury was originally expected to keep him out for the remainder of the year, it is now believed he could return at some point in the Finals. On defense, Christian Ehrhoff (shoulder) and Aaron Rome (head) missed the last two games of the San Jose series, but both players are expected to skate for the Canucks this evening. While the Canucks last played for a title 17 years ago, its been an even longer road back to the Cup Finals for Boston, which made its last appearance in the NHLs championship round in 1990. The Bruins ousted Tampa Bay for this years Eastern Conference title by beating the Lightning, 1-0, in a decisive Game 7 in Boston. It was the second Game 7 victory of this postseason for Boston, which went seven games against Montreal in Round 1 before sweeping Philadelphia in the conference semifinals. Boston, which was ousted in five games by Mark Messier and the Edmonton Oilers in the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals, hasnt won a title since Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito led the franchise to the 1972 crown. All told, the Bs have claimed five Stanley Cup titles in their storied history. Boston is a team built on strong defense and solid goaltending, but the Bs showed some offensive punch in eliminating the high-powered Lightning in the conference finals, scoring 21 times over the seven games. The Bruins are averaging 3.22 goals per game for the entire playoffs and have yielded just 2.50 scores per contest. David Krejci and Nathan Horton have been Bostons best forwards in this postseason. The former is leading the playoffs with 10 goals and has also added seven assists, while Horton has also notched 17 points (8g, 9a) and scored the only goal in Bostons Game 7 victory over the Lightning. Bostons defense and goaltending usually makes scoring against the club a difficult task, but the Lightning gave the Bruins more than they could handle at times in the conference finals. Even with two shutouts by Boston goaltender Tim Thomas, Tampa still managed 21 goals over the seven-game series. Thomas won the Vezina Trophy as the leagues top goaltender in 2009 and is considered to be the favorite for the award this year. The 37-year-old is 12-6 this postseason with a 2.29 GAA and .929 save percentage. Thomas set an NHL record with a .938 save percentage over 57 games during the regular season. The Canucks won the Presidents Trophy as the club with the best record in the regular season. Presidents Trophy winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup seven times since the award was introduced in the mid-1980s, but the last time was in 2008 when Detroit won it all. Vancouver also has a bit of interesting history going in its favor in this series and it has to do with the city hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. The only other two Canadian cities to host Olympics -- Montreal and Calgary -- went on to win Stanley Cup titles the following year. The Canadiens hosted the Summer Games in 1976 and won the second of four straight Cups in 1977, while Calgary claimed its only championship in 1989, a year after hosting the 1988 Winter Olympics. Of course, the Canucks are not only carrying the hopes of a city, but also a nation considering a Canadian team hasnt lifted the Cup since Montreal defeated Wayne Gretzkys Los Angeles Kings in 1993. Boston, meanwhile, has lost its last five trips to the Finals since defeating the Rangers for the Cup in 1972. The Bruins have a 5-20 record in the championship round since their last title. The Canucks and Bruins have never faced each other in the playoffs and the clubs only met once this season with Boston notching a 3-1 decision at Rogers Arena on Feb. 26. The Bs have taken three of four and four of the last six games these clubs have played against each other. Neither clubs goaltender has Stanley Cup Finals experience, but Luongo and Thomas have 52 and 36 games, respectively, of playoff action under their belts. The Canucks, who will also host Game 2 on Saturday, have home-ice advantage to start this series as a result of their superior regular season record and Vancouver boasts a solid 7-3 record at Rogers Arena this spring. Boston has a 5-3 record as the visiting team in the postseason. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Brandon Pirri added a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks, who have won four of five. Michael Kostka scored his first career goal against his former team, and Corey Crawford had 19 saves. Cheap Jerseys From China . Antti Niemi stopped 41 shots for his fourth shutout, and Logan Coutures first-period, short-handed goal stood up as the Sharks beat the Rangers 1-0 Sunday for their sixth straight win. http://www.cheapnfljerseybest.com/. The 25-year-old international became Sunderlands record signing when he arrived at the Stadium of Light for 13 million pounds ($20 million) from French club Rennes just over a year ago, but has failed to settle. Cheap Jerseys .500 for the first time since Nov. 23, playing the entire second half and over 43 minutes to make it happen. Wholesale Jerseys . The Pens and Red Wings have become very familiar with each other in recent years, as the clubs met in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 09. Detroit won the first series in six games, but Pittsburgh was crowned champion the following year after winning a classic Game 7 in the Motor City.RIGA, Latvia -- Sim Bhullar had 15 points in a losing cause Monday as Canada was thumped 83-54 by the United States in second-round pool play at the FIBA under-19 mens basketball world championship. The win improved the U.S.s record to 5-0 while Canada fell to 1-4. Both have survived the opening round to advance to the 12-team second round, with the top four in each of the two groups moving on to the quarter-finals. Canada plays Egypt (1-3) on Tuesday. Villanova guard James Bell scored 16 poiints for the Americans, who led 46-23 at the half.dddddddddddd The seven-foot-four Bhullar, a Toronto native who plays high school basketball in the U.S., made seven of 10 shots and added a free throw while pulling down seven rebounds. Dyshawn Pierre of Whitby, Ont., and Junior Lomomba of Montreal added 11 apiece for Canada Canada is ranked sixth in the latest FIBA world rankings, which is topped by the Americans. Canada finished seventh at the 2009 tournament in New Zealand. ' ' '