The Boston Bruins have kept their Stanley Cup hopes alive, punishing Vancouver 5-2 to force a decisive game seven in the NHL\'s championship series.
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| Andrew Ference of the Boston Bruins celebrates with teammates after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in game six of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. |
The Bruins on Monday denied the Canucks a Cup-clinching victory, chasing Vancouver\'s erratic goalie Roberto Luongo in the first period.
Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic and Andrew Ference scored in the first 8:35 and the Bruins seized control with four goals in the first period.
"We wanted to make sure if we went down, we went down fighting," Marchand said.
For the sixth time in the last 10 seasons, the final series is going to a seventh game, returning to Vancouver for the decider on Wednesday.
"I\'m proud of the guys," said Boston\'s Mark Recchi, who had three assists as Boston pulled level at three games apiece. "We had our backs to the wall, we\'ve been resilient all year, and we came out and had a great first period and did what we had to do tonight, and it comes down to game seven.
"It\'s one game now."
The home team hasn\'t lost in this series, with the Canucks winning three one-goal games in Vancouver and Boston posting three dominant victories on home ice.
Henrik Sedin scored his first point of the finals with a late power-play goal for the Canucks. Maxim Lapierre also scored in the third period for Vancouver, who are trying to win the Stanley Cup for the first time.
Tim Thomas made 36 saves for Boston, who are seeking their first title since 1972. Thomas has given up just eight goals in six games in the series.
But it was Canucks goalie Luongo who was in the spotlight. He led Vancouver to the brink of the title with a standout performance in a 1-0 Canucks triumph on Friday.
But back in Boston he again proved all too vulnerable.
Vancouver\'s night started badly when second-line forward Mason Raymond was hurt on the opening shift when he was run backwards into the boards in a clash with Boston\'s Johnny Boychuk.
Raymond was taken to hospital for evaluation, although the Canucks offered no immediate information on the nature or gravity of his injury.
Luongo was in trouble early when Marchand blasted a shot over his shoulder after just five and a half minutes. Lucic scored 35 seconds later when his shot dribbled in and Ference ended Luongo\'s night with a power-play goal 2:29 later.
"You can\'t hang your head and feel sorry for yourself," Luongo said. "That\'s the worst thing I could do. ... I had a good feeling all day. Before the series started, I said I enjoyed playing in this building. Just got to move on right now. Got to believe in myself, right?"
Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said there was no doubt Luongo would start game seven.
"I don\'t have to say anything to him," Vigneault said. "He\'s a professional. His preparation is beyond reproach, and he\'s going to be ready for game seven."
As for game six, Vigneault said, "It happened. There\'s nothing we can do about it.
"We\'ve already turned the page on that, and we\'re going back home."
No sooner had Luongo departed, replaced by Cory Schneider, than Boston\'s Michael Ryder scored to complete the Bruins\' burst of four goals in a span of 4:14.
Leading playoffs scorer David Krejci added a fifth goal for Boston, scoring during a two-man advantage.
Since their 1972 Stanley Cup triumph, Boston have lost in five trips to the Finals, never reaching a seventh game.
The Bruins have already played two game-sevens in this post-season, against Montreal in the first round and Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals.
Both of those games were at home, however, while this time they\'ll have to get it done on the road against a Canucks team that earned home-ice advantage with the best regular-season in club history.