Times wires
Monday, June 6, 2011
BOSTON — The Bruins finally found their offense, scoring four goals in the second period and four more in the third after losing key forward Nathan Horton on their way to an 8-1 victory over the Canucks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final.
The Bruins broke out just in time, getting back into the series at home after losing the first two games in Vancouver. The Canucks' series lead was cut to 2-1 in the best-of-seven final.
In a chippy, testy game, the tone was set early on a hit in which Horton was seriously hurt by Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome.
Andrew Ference, Mark Recchi, Brad Marchand and David Krejci scored in the second period, connecting for two goals at even strength, one on a power play and one shorthanded.
As the Bruins kept pouring it on in the third, the game became extremely physical — seven 10-minute misconduct penalties were handed out in the period.
Recchi, 43, had two goals and Michael Ryder had a goal and two assists for the Bruins. Tim Thomas made 40 saves for Boston.
Ference started the onslaught 11 seconds into the second — the same amount of time it took Vancouver's Alex Burrows to score in overtime to win Game 2 on Saturday.
Boston's Rich Peverley lost the opening faceoff, but Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler broke his stick trying to pass the puck. Krejci picked up the puck, and it came to Ference, who scored on a rising shot through a screen in front of goalie Roberto Luongo.
Then, with 20 seconds left in a hooking penalty to Jeff Tambellini, Recchi was credited with Boston's seventh goal in 72 power plays in the playoffs. He passed from the lower right circle across the crease. Peverley was waiting on the other side, but the puck went off the stick of Canucks forward Ryan Kesler and into the net at 4:22.
Marchand scored a shorthanded goal at 11:30 on an outstanding solo effort. He stole the puck in the neutral zone, knocked it off the right wing boards, went around Edler and picked up the ricochet. Marchand then got by Kesler, cut across the slot and scored over Luongo's left pad.
Krejci made it 4-0 after Luongo stopped Michael Ryder's shot. The rebound went between the legs of Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa to Krejci, who fired a 15-footer from the left past Luongo's glove on the far side.
Boston came in with just three goals in its past three postseason games.
Boston's offense broke out without Horton, who had scored two overtime goals in the first-round series against Montreal and the lone goal in the Bruins' Game 7 win against the Lightning in the East final.
Horton was leveled by Rome's hard hit and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was moving all of his extremities.
Horton had passed the puck to Milan Lucic on his left, took three strides and was hit hard near the Canucks blue line. The right wing appeared to hit his head on the ice and stayed on his back as medical personnel rushed out. After several minutes, he left on a stretcher while strapped to a backboard.
Rome was given a major penalty for interference and was ejected. But the Bruins, who have struggled on the power play throughout the playoffs, failed to score during the five-minute advantage.
Boston made one lineup change, substituting the more physical Shawn Thornton for 19-year-old rookie Tyler Seguin.
The Canucks were without defenseman Dan Hamhuis for the second straight game after he was hurt in the second period of Game 1 when he upended Lucic with a check in the neutral zone. Andrew Alberts, a former Bruins defenseman, replaced him in the lineup.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: The Flames hired former head coach Craig Hartsburg as an associate coach. Hartsburg coached Chicago, Anaheim and Ottawa.