The 2011 NHL Stanley Cup final between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins will be a close series. Here is a matchup comparison and our Stanley Cup hockey prediction pick.

 

 

Records

Vancouver Canucks - Regular season record: 54-19-9 (117 points, 1st in Western Conference, 1st in NHL), Playoff Record: 12-6

Boston Bruins - Regular season record: 46-25-11 (103 points, 3rd in Eastern Conference, 7th in NHL), Playoff Record: 12-6

Advantage - Canucks 

 

Offense

Vancouver Canucks - Vancouver is lead by the most recent two NHL scoring leaders in Henrik and Daniel Sedin. They also have a 40 goal scorer Ryan Kesler.

The Canucks have been lead by different players in each series of the playoffs, and that is exactly what you need to win in the post season. The first round was a coming out party for Alexander Burrows, the second round was dominated by Kesler, and the Sedins found their scoring touch in the round three. If Manny Malhotra returns to the lineup it could add an offensive and psychological boost. 

Boston Bruins - Boston is lead by Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Nathan Horton during the regular season. They also had 12 players with 10 goals or more during this time.

The playoffs have seen Krejci, Bergeron, Horton and Tyler Seguin carry the offense. The negative is that for most of the playoffs Krejci, Bergeron and Horton have been playing on the same line. The Bruins do not have much depth.

Advantage - Canucks

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Defense

Boston Bruins - The Bruins team defense was one of their strong points during the regular season, but it has been inconsistent during the playoffs. They are lead by their captain and Norris Trophy candidate Zdeno Chara. Chara and his partner Dennis Seidenberg can be an effective unit at shutting down the opponents top line. However, there is not much more depth on the Bruins blueline. 

Vancouver Canucks - The Canucks do not have a major shut down pairing, but they do have a lot of depth. The Canucks blueliners have also been helping out the offense in important games during this years playoffs. The defense will add to the depth with the return of Christain Ehrhoff, who was injured early in the Western Conference final.

Advantage - Bruins

 

Goalies

Boston Bruins - Tim Thomas has played in 18 games this playoffs. He has a 12-6 record, 2.29 goals against average and .929 save percentage. Thomas is a Vezina Trophy candidate. The negative to Thomas is his unorthodox style that can get him out of position and in trouble. However, he still one of the best goalies in the NHL at the age of 37.

Vancouver Canucks - Roberto Luongo has played in 18 games this playoffs. He has a 12-6 record, 2.29 goals against average and .922 save percentage. Luongo is a Vezina Trophy candidate. The negative to Luongo is his 1-2 shaky plays every game, which usually happen when he plays the puck. However, he is still one of the best goalies in the league who has been exercising his demons and gaining confidence. 

Advantage - Bruins

 

Powerplay

Vancouver Canucks - In 18 playoff games the Canucks are 28.3% with the man-advantage. They have had 60 powerplay chances, scored 17 powerplay goals, and gave up 3 shorthanded goals.

Boston Bruins - In 18 playoff games the Bruins are a dismal 8.2% with the man-advantage. They have had 61 powerplay chances, scored 5 powerplay goals, and gave up 1 shorthanded goal. 

Advantage - Canucks

 

Penalty Kill

Vancouver Canucks - In 18 playoff games the Canucks are 80.6% when killing a penalty. They have been shorthanded 72 times, and have been scored on 14 times. They have scored 1 shorthanded goal. 

Boston Bruins - In 18 playoff games the Bruins are 79.4% when killing a penalty. They have been shorthanded 63 times, and have been scored on 13 times. They have scored 1 shorthanded goal. 

Advantage - Canucks

 

Season Series

Bruins won the only meeting this season with the Canucks 3-1 on February 26th in Vancouver. 

Advantage - Bruins

 

NHL Stanley Cup Prediction Pick

The Canucks have the edge in 4 categories and the Bruins have the edge in 3 categories. The edge goes to the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final matchup.

Prediction - Canucks win in 7 games.

 

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