Eastern Conference

3. Boston Bruins

vs

Western Conference

1. Vancouver Canucks

As I’ve said many times about the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  If you have a great goalie, you will have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. That is true for both of these teams.  One was favored to win the Cup at the beginning of the season.  The other was near the bottom of their conference to start, but worked their way to the top at the end.

The Bruins

Boston has that can do attitude.  Zdeno Chara is a big reason why the Bruins have been so formidable throughout the playoffs.  With his presence on defense he doesn’t let anyone get by him for easy goals.  He is also a force in front of the net on power plays for Boston.  Nathan Horton has been a consistent scorer for the Bruins.  Being on the big stage isn’t getting to Horton at all.  Tim Thomas, a Vezina finalist, is the reason why the Bruins are in the Stanley Cup Final.  He backed up his guarantee against Tampa Bay in the conference finals.  Now if he can keep Boston afloat against the most talented team in the NHL in Vancouver, the Bruins will be hoisting the Cup for the first time since 1972.

The Canucks

The Sedin twins remained quiet during the conference finals.  Ryan Kesler is still being the disruptive force on the ice.  They are taking advantage of their opponents mistakes.  Goalie Roberto Luongo isn’t crumbling under the weight of the pressure.  Everything is coming together at the right time for Vancouver.  But it could all end in the blink of an eye.  If Kesler isn’t playing at the same level. The Sedin twins remain quiet.  Luongo gets cold feet.  It could all come crashing down.  One thing that will have to change is that the Sedin twins need to be more involved.  They are their two best players and they must play up to their MVP like level.

Of course what this series boils down to is which goalie will win it for their team.  Tim Thomas has made some iconic saves during these playoffs.  Roberto Luongo was benched at one point during the semifinals, but has put that behind him.  You can’t go wrong with either one right now.  I like seeing one of the most iconic franchises in the NHL make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. However I can’t go against my pre-season winner.  The Cup will return to Canada.

Canucks in 6 games