The netminders in the Stanley Cup final will be a main factor in deciding a champion.
What a goaltending match-up!
Two of three Vezina Trophy finalists are set to do battle in this year's Stanley Cup final. Should be a low-scoring series then, right? Should be a match made in heaven, huh?
Don't count on it.
While Tim Thomas, who is favored by many to capture his second Vezina Trophy in the past three years when the hardware is handed out in a few weeks in Las Vegas, will go toe-to-toe with fellow Vezina finalist Roberto Luongo, there is no guarantee we'll see a superb exhibition of puck-stopping. In fact, if their play through the first three rounds is any indication, we might be in store for a goal-fest.
Thomas recorded the best save percentage since the stat has been kept in the regular season finishing at .938, but that has dipped to .929 in the post-season - still good for second best in the playoffs. His 2.29 goals-against average ranks No. 4 in the playoffs. Luongo, meanwhile, is fifth in GAA at 2.29 and sixth in SP at .922. Truth be told, there's not a lot separating the two statistically speaking.
What's going to be interesting is to see if one or both gets into a zone in the final because based on their inconsistent play through the first three rounds that is quite hard to imagine. Both goalies are capable of making breathtaking saves, but each is also prone to making blunders that put their team in a hole.
Thomas had two shutouts in the Eastern Conference championship series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, including a 1-0 decision in the pressure-packed Game 7. Good stuff, to be sure. However, he also allowed five goals in four games in the series and if he has a repeat of that, the Bruins will be cooked. You can bet the Canucks will not foolishly employ the same passive 1-3-1 checking system the Lightning self-destructed with and that Vancouver will apply a lot more pressure on the Bruins in the form of a forecheck.
While the defensive duo of Zdeno Chara and Dennius Seidenberg appear to be a good match as a shutdown pair pitted against Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Canucks have a wealth of scoring depth. As we saw through the first two rounds against the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators, when the Sedins are held in check, the Canucks have Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows, among others, to do the scoring. Thomas is likely to be under constant pressure and will have to be at his very best if the Bruins are to stand a chance in this series.
Luongo, to his credit, played superbly in Games 5 and 6 in the Western Conference final against the San Jose Sharks, making a total of 87 stops in those two games, both won by his team. But all many remember is the big stopper taking an uncalculated risk by flying out of his net in a misguided attempt to break up a play that resulted in a goal by the Sharks. It's almost as though the Canucks have come to expect these faux pas from their goaltender and don't let them ruin their night.
Luongo, perhaps even more than Thomas, is looking for respect in the final. Even though he backboned Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, there are many who believe he is the Canucks weak link. Things got so bad in the opening round series against Chicago, when the Canucks nearly blew a 3-0 series lead, that the team went with backup Cory Schneider for a game.
Overall, Luongo's play has been pretty good. Same with Thomas. In fact, one or the other could conceivably win the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the playoffs. If the Bruins somehow manage to upset the Canucks in the final, you can bet it will be largely because of Thomas's outstanding play. He'll have to be at his acrobatic best for the Bruins to defeat the Canucks four times. If the Sedins are kept in check by Chara and Seidenberg, then there will be added pressure on Luongo to be at his very best for the Canucks to triumph. Four solid wins and a shutout or two would make him a very attractive pick to the Conn Smythe voters.
All in all, it is going to be a very interesting final where the goalies are concerned.
