Deja Vu: Bruins and Canucks Battle At Top Again
The leaders of their respective conferences play each other on Thursday night, 13 years after their Finals bout.
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports - Deja Vu: Bruins and Canucks Battle At Top AgainAs the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks play each other Thursday night, the stakes are high.
Both teams lead their respective conferences. Both teams sit at 71 points. Both teams have the Stanley Cup in their sights. We've seen this before?
Thirteen years ago, these two teams battled for Lord Stanley in a thrilling seven game series. Boston ended a 39-year Stanley Cup drought, stunning the President's Trophy-winning Canucks with a 4-0 victory in Game 7 in Vancouver.
With these teams at the top of the league, one can dream of another Stanley Cup battle on the horizon. The days of Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and David Krejci are over, as are the days of the Sedins (Henrik & Daniel) and Roberto Luongo, but new players have emerged and have both squads dreaming of hoisting the Cup once again.
For the Bruins, Brad Marchand is the only player that remains from the Cup-winning team. Now, they have core players such as Charlie Coyle, Charlie McAvoy, and Pavel Zacha with great goaltending leading the way. For the Canucks, it is elite young talent consisting of Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes, and a great goaltender in Thatcher Demko.
Both teams are all-in. Boston will make some sort of move at the deadline to help shore up their center position. The Bruins are in on Adam Henrique, who would provide experience, versatility, and leadership into their lineup. In 2011, it was the key acquisitions of Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly that proved to be essential components to their championship team.
The Canucks brought in some grit in Maxim Lapierre and some playoff experience in Chris Higgins in 2011. This year, they traded for the biggest fish available in Elias Lindholm and some nastiness with physical defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
Thursday night is just a cross-conference regular season game. Yet, the caliber of each team suggests a potential preview for another Stanley Cup final.
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