BY MARK SPECTOR
sportsnet.ca

VANCOUVER -- Daniel Sedin spoke like any good leader should after Game 6, when he said, "We are going to win Game 7."

But after the quote made its way through the media meat grinder, it sounded a bit out of character for one of the twins. He said it, he just didn't mean it the way a Mark Messier would mean it -- to guarantee victory.

"That was probably me being excited and the words came wrong out of my mouth," he said Wednesday morning. "What I said was, if we put our best game on the ice, I like our chances. That's the way it's been all year. When we play our best, we're a tough team to beat. We show that at home."

Personally, we're fine with a captain (or assistant, in Daniel's case) standing up stating his team's confidence. Like, what would you prefer? The opposite?

"If you don't believe that in this room, we're screwed," Daniel said. "So everyone, we believe in ourselves here, and it's no different now. We should be proud of what we've done this year so far. Taking this to a Game 7, home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup finals, what else can you ask for?"

Well, now that you mention that, maybe one more thing... Can you guarantee a win?

"We're going to play our best game of the season," Daniel said. "I'm sure if we do that, we will have a good chance."

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NO TEA PARTY

If the Bruins lose Wednesday night, they will be the first team in the history of the NHL, MLB or NBA to lose in a Game 7 in four straight seasons.

In 2008 they dropped a Round 1 series to Montreal in seven games. In '09, it was Carolina in Round 2. Last season they blew that 3-0 series lead to lose in the second round to Philadelphia.

On the lineup front, Jeff Tambellini will fill in for the injured Mason Raymond on Ryan Kesler's line, and it appears that Alexander Edler will play despite missing some time in Game 6 to an apparent malady.

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TAKING A POUNDING

Why did Brad Marchand repeatedly pound on Daniel Sedin at the end of Game 6?

"Because I felt like it," the 5-foot-9 Boston rookie said. "It was just the heat of the moment, that stuff happens."

What did Daniel say to deserve the pounding?

"No, he didn't say anything before. He was just right there ... He didn't say anything. He was just kind of taking it."

The Sedin brothers have taken a hellacious pounding from big Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara in the course of the play in this series, and a ton of abuse after the whistle from various Bruins -- though none more than Marchand.

The Sedins aren't the type to swing back -- that's just not in their character. Instead, they win consecutive Art Ross Trophies for their teammates.

We'd think that at some point during 8-1, 4-0 and 5-2 losses, one of those teammates would find the opportunity to instruct Marchand that it's not a good idea to mess with the Canucks' best players.

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COACHING THE CUP

The focus is on the players Wednesday night, as it should be, but a Game 7 is something special for Canucks coach Alain Vigneault as well.

"Well, I know how hard this journey is," said Vigneault, a journeyman defenceman in his playing days who was fired from his job as head coach in Montreal before landing here. "I've said many times how privileged I feel to be one of the 30 head coaches in the National Hockey League. It's a tough business to get into, it's a tough business to stay in, and I was out of this business coaching in the NHL for six years. So it took me a long time to get back at it."

And there is every chance that if Patrick Sharp's goal goes in early in overtime of Game 7 way back in Round 1, he may be on the outside looking in by now. Again.

"This is my fifth year in Vancouver," Vigneault said. "I knew what was at stake this year. I knew I was in my window of opportunity, and to get a chance to play for the Cup, to get a chance to play in the seventh game for the Stanley Cup. I'm real excited."