Boston Bruins: Five Year Stanley Cup Anniversary For 2011 Stanley Cup Finals Win
A lot can happen in five years.
Game seven, on the road, 4-0. The Boston Bruins had unseated the President’s trophy winning Vancouver Canucks and won their first Stanley Cup championship since the 1972 season. Both Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron scored two goals apiece and Tim Thomas stood on his head to the tune of 37 saves to shutout the Canucks. The 2011 Bruins’ became the first team in franchise history to win the Stanley Cup on the road.
Winning on the road was even more impressive as the Bruins’ seemingly couldn’t find their offensive-rhythm in Vancouver throughout the entire series. On the road, the Bruins had only scored two goals in three games, while at home, they had scored 17 goals in three games. Consequently, in Vancouver, then-Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was superb, posting two shutouts in three games. On the road, however, he was replaced by then-backup goalie Cory Schneider twice in three games in Boston.
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Despite the Bruins goal-scoring woes on the road, and the fact that the series went the distance and resulted in a game-seven decision, the Bruins were the far superior team in the series and it wasn’t even close. The Bruins outscored the Canucks 23-to-8 in the series — the Canucks eight goals being the lowest of any team in a seven game series — and they had only averaged 1.14 goals-per-game. The Bruins on the other hand, averaged 3.3 goals-per-game.
From the net-out, the Bruins looked unstoppable. Tim Thomas, the former 217th-overall draft pick who was having a Cinderella story, was not to be stopped on his quest to the top and a Conn Smythe victory.
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Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, and Andrew Ference were as solid as a top-four could get in terms of heart, grit, and willingness to put their bodies on the line to help their team.
David Krejci finished the playoffs with 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points which was good for first among all skaters. Patrice Bergeron was busy doing Patrice Bergeron things, winning faceoffs, scoring goals – but more importantly, preventing them – and providing veteran leadership for his club.
Rookie’s Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin stepped up at various times in the playoffs, and the pure tenacity of Michael Ryder, Milan Lucic, Rich Peverley, and Chris Kelly helped fill in for Nathan Horton‘s absence.
Never to be forgotten either, is the merlot-line that consisted of Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille, and Shawn Thornton. The Bruins’ fourth line was one of the best in the league at the time, and they’ve been searching for that kind of consistency ever since.
While the Bruins looked like a potential long-term contender capable of make a run at multiple championships over the next five years, the actual result was not very flattering.
The team managed to make the playoffs in each of the next three seasons, compiling two first and one second place division finishes including one President’s trophy win. The playoffs weren’t as successful for the Bruins, however, as they lost in the first round in 2012, the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013, and the second round in 2014. The team has failed to make the playoffs in each year since.
Next: Boston Bruins Mock Draft 2.0
Over the next five years, the Bruins will try to build another playoff contender that can compete for as long as possible. A lot can happen in five years.