Stanley Cup Finals Preview

     Oh, am I looking forward to this! My Boston Bruins are appearing in their first cup in a generation against the high flying Vancouver Canucks. What a fantastic matchup this is for the NHL. You have two great cities with different styles that will attract east coast and west coast fans, including Canada. Although I am thrilled that the Bruins have made it this far, I won't be satisfied until they win the Cup. Here are some breakdowns for the 2011 Stanley Cup finals and my final prediction.

Offense


     The Canucks have the best attacking team in the NHL, but that doesn't mean the Bruins can't hold their own with them. Led by David Krejci, Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins are capable of scoring goals. That being said, the Canucks have the Sedins, Ryan Kesler and role players like Maxim Lapierre and there isn't a better unit in the NHL.
Edge: Canucks 
Prediction: The Bruins have success when staying out of the penalty box and Tim Thomas proves to be the toughest goaltender the Canucks have had to get by this postseason (and they went up against Pekka Rinne)

Defense 


     The Bruins defense has been inconsistent, but they are capable of shutting down any offensive unit, as we saw last round. Vancouver has been more consistent, but they still are driven by their goal scoring.
Edge: Push 
Prediction: Boston has up and down defensive efforts as does Vancouver. The series will come down to goaltending.

Goaltending 


     Tim Thomas is more consistent than Roberto Luongo, but they still might be the two best goaltenders in the world when they're on. Both are battle tested, but I would say that Thomas has clamped down and shut down teams better than any goaltender in the playoffs.
Edge: Bruins 
Prediction: Tim Thomas is slightly better than Luongo during this series.

3 Keys for Vancouver 
1) Roberto Luongo must be at the top of his game 
2) The Canucks must continue to capitalize on power plays 
3) The Canucks need their Sedin magic 


3 Keys for Boston
1) Stay out of the god damn penalty box 
2) Tim Thomas must stand on his head like he has done in big spots
3) Score a couple power play goals 


Prediction: This will be a tightly contested series. Every puck will be battled for. But I think because of Tim Thomas and their ability to overcome even the worst circumstances, the Boston Bruins will win the Stanley Cup. They have endured so much that I think their will to win will lead them to the Stanley Cup title.
Bruins in Six 
Series Complexion (Home win in CAPS, road win not in caps)
1 bos 2 VAN 3 BOS 4 BOS 5 VAN 6 BOS