at least. you could probably argue they have as large as a 40% chance, maybe more. but then again, i also think that it's possible the Bruins are the worst of the four teams that the Canucks have faced this year. they're probably better than Nashville, and maybe Chicago, but not San Jose. so i think people are feeling pretty confident, but a little over-confident iyam. i've heard from too many people around here talking like we've already won the SC, and it's not making me very happy. luckily i highly doubt the players are feeling the same way, so i hope they can just stay grounded and in the moment.

incoming link dump!:

lone WCF item, Vancouver reacting to Kesler's late tying goal, and Bieksa's OT winner. nice, that's nice.

Stanley Cup storylines - droughts, officiating, special teams, goaltending, and Manny Malhotra.

here's a lolbad stats-based article from TSN. for a fun exercise, try to spot all the egregious errors. i'll start with taking the lol sample size playoff stats, while ignoring score effects, and using them in an attempt to extrapolate predictions for the finals.

5 ways for the Canucks to beat the Bruins

NESN taking the bait and responding to a troll article from Vancouver writer Tony Gallagher, about something something Campbell conspiracy theories, lol.

Boston Pizza is now Vancouver Pizza!

Recchi retiring if Boston wins the SC

Luck is on the Canucks' side?

cool article about Cam Neely, who of course if from the Vancouver area, and was drafted by the Canucks, before flourishing after a trade to Boston.

similar story from the Bruins new power-forward from the Vancouver area, Milan Lucic. and quotes from other Boston players.

Puck Daddy breaks down which team has the advantage at forward

Maritimers definitely cheering for Bruins over Canucks, apparently.

article about ticket prices, outdoor viewing screens, and opening GM Place for Games 3, 4, & 6 (if necessary)

sounds like Jeremy Jacobs emerged to curse the Bruins, and just in time!

financial implications of making the Finals, for the Canucks and players. also a bit about Vigneault and Julien, both from Ottawa, former teammates, and still friends.

more stats stuff:

The NHL has detailed statistics available for the last 22 Stanley Cup winning teams, going back to the 1988 Edmonton Oilers. Comparing Vancouver and Boston's numbers to those teams, a few key differences stand out:

- The Bruins' awful power play rating of 8.2% is lower than any Cup winner in the last 22 years, with the Dallas Stars in 1999 having the worst percentage at 12.1%.

- Boston's 5-on-5 numbers, meanwhile, are some of the best ever for a playoff team. Among recent winners, only the Red Wings' Cup winning team in 2008 came close with a 1.62 goal differential.

- The Canucks' power play percentage is higher than any recent Cup winner, with those 1988 Oilers converting at a 26.5% success rate as the next closest team. The average Cup winner the past 22 years has had a 19.7% power play.

- The vast majority of Cup winners out shot their opposition or were close to even on the shot clock, with only the 1990 Oilers and 1991 Penguins out shot by more than two shots per game. (The 2008 Red Wings dominated in this category, outshooting their opposition by an average of 13 shots a game.)

- Both teams have had poor penalty kills by Cup winner standards at below 81%. The only team in the last 22 years to win the Cup with less than 82.8% was the 1991 Penguins.

- A lot of teams have won the Cup since the lockout with a low goal differential, as parity increases, but Vancouver's would hit a new low at 0.22 (a result of being beaten badly in two first round games by the Blackhawks). The 2006 Hurricanes have the lowest one in recent NHL history at 0.52.

One other number to note: The average Cup winner the past 22 years has played 22.1 games en route to winning it all, with that number increasing to an average of 23 over the past 10 years. If this year's final goes to seven games, Vancouver and Boston will match the 25 games the Hurricanes needed to win the Cup, tying the highest mark ever.

yea funny how this works, pretty much everyone around here is talking like the Bruins have already won the Cup as well. and the Bruins are absolutely better than Chicago and Nashville, sigh. 3 legitimately lines, won't show me too many teams that can say that.

bruins are not better than chicago

Scoreboard tho

i was being facetious....its the no vig line on pinny

Bruins have one really good 2nd line and 3 decent 3rd lines. The leading scorer on the team had 64 pts.

Boston is 100% to win the Cup because no team has ever won the Cup after their first ever President's Trophy win.

That is all the stats I need.

link to something that says you need a superstar to win a cup

this isn't true either. boston's forwards are very good, but their defense is pretty lol bad.

Lucic-Krejci-Horton is a pretty solid first line iyam. T's right, the problem lies with their defense. Chara and Seidenberg can only play so many minutes.

Any word on tickets? I've been waiting for them to release tickets through ticketmaster since I have a presale code but I'm starting to get impatient. There is a guy locally offering 4 lower bowl tickets for 320 a seat which im thinking about taking...it seems too good to be true to be honest. How prevalent are ticket scams for these games?

History will be made tho.

Is Seidenberg even all that good? He Fenwicked .487 w/ the score tied this year against okay competition but playing with okay teammates as well. I guess he's probably about average. After Ference though they all seem quite bad.

team leader in blocked shots i think though not sure if that's just a product of him playing a ton of minutes per game


edit: playoff leader in blocked shots too apparently

He's good with Chara. Then again, who wouldn't?

boston overcounts shot blocks too, but yeah seidenberg is a good shot blocker - problem is, shot blocking isn't that high value imo

Lower bowls for under $700 are a complete scan likely. As a season ticket holder, i just got an e-mail about 20 minutes ago announcing the release of single tickets. See below.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

STANLEY CUP FINAL TICKETS ON SALE MAY 31st AT NOON

A limited number of tickets in single seat locations for home games will go on sale online or by phone at 1-855-523-6800 on Tuesday, May 31 at 12pm noon. Tickets will be available at the Rogers Arena Box Office and Ticketmaster Ticket Centers on Wednesday, June 1 based on availability. Ticket prices begin at $197.25.

Fans unable to secure tickets through Ticketmaster may also go to the Prime Seat Club to check on ticket availabilities. Travel packages to see the Canucks play any home or away game are also available through the Global Event Forum.

FULL PRESS RELEASE http://links.mkt2202.com/ctt?kn=6&ms...gwS0&mt=1&rt=0

Didn't know that, that's worth something.

Yeah exactly. Seems like he was just meh without him.

all this ticket talk makes me seriously wonder how much Leafs finals tickets would go for. The face value of platinum seats are $416 for every regular season game. They have to be $2000 face value in the finals? And then probably $5000 if scalped?

How much did gold medal tickets go for in Vancouver? I'd say that would be a good guess.

You're saying you know of a single team that has EVER won the cup in the modern era that hasn't had a single player on their team score even 70 pts in the regular season?(let alone only 64).

About the same as tickets to see The Beatles reincarnated to play a private gig in your backyard since they have about the same likelihood of occurring.

Mike Johnson has never heard of acid. That's cheaper than a SCF ticket.

02-03 Devils highest was 57
01-02 Wings highest was 75
99-00 Devils highest was 70
97-98 Wings highest was 69

2002-03 New Jersey Devils. Leading scorer Patrik Elias with 57 points.