Music: {allcanada} Game 3 preview: Canucks at Bruins Monday night

Sunday, June 5, 2011

{allcanada} Game 3 preview: Canucks at Bruins Monday night

Sizing up the Stanley Cup Final matchup as the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins head to Game 3 Monday (8 p.m. ET, Versus) in Boston:

Situation: The Canucks, the top regular-season team, hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Goaltenders: Boston's Tim Thomas vs. Vancouver's Roberto Luongo. Luongo has won seven of his last eight playoff games, including his last four. Thomas has a .956 save percentage over the past three games.

Who's hot: Vancouver winger Alex Burrows had two goals, including the overtime winner, in Game 2 when many believed he should have been suspended for allegedly biting Patrice Bergeron in Game 1. You can guess what kind of reception Burrows will receive in Game 3 in Boston.

Who's not: Boston winger Brad Marchand has no points in his last four games. He has one goal and is minus-four in his last nine games.

What the Bruins want to do: 1. Play like it's Game 7. If the Bruins fall behind 3-0, their chances of coming back are slim. 2. Play 60 minutes of Bruins hockey instead of just playing well in spurts. That means pounding the Canucks to wear them down. 3. Put more pressure on Luongo. The Bruins don't think they are being hard enough on him. They want to pepper Luongo with shots.

What the Canucks want to do: 1. Play poised and consistent. The longer the game stays close, the more it favors Vancouver. The Canucks were the NHL's best third-period team this season. 2. Use Thomas' aggressiveness by getting numbers to the net. When he's out of his net challenging shooters, he becomes vulnerable. 3. Play their best defensive game. They can't forget that both of these games could have gone either way.