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Five things to look out for in Game 6

Vancouver Canucks v Boston Bruins - Game Four

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 08: Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins fights with Alex Burrows #14 of the Vancouver Canucks during Game Four of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 8, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

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The Stanley Cup is in the house and while the Canucks are doing all that they can to not be distracted by its glorious silver shine, the Bruins know they’ve got a job to do tonight to try and force a Game 7 Wednesday night in Vancouver. While a lot of the senseless talk has subsided and the taunting has gone away, there are actually some hockey-related things to look out for tonight in Game 6. Stunning, right? Here’s a few things to keep your eyes peeled for at TD Garden in Boston.

1. Get the first goal, win the game

That’s just how it’s gone in this series. Whoever has scored first has gone on to win as the one goal edge was enough to either carry the Canucks to victory or spur Boston on to deliver a beat down. Of course, scoring first has also coincided with home ice so there’s that as well. Boston’s played great when getting the lead in this series and throughout the playoffs they’ve been virtually unbeatable going 10-1 after scoring first. Vancouver meanwhile has been 11-2 after scoring first. A Vancouver goal first would sap the energy out of the building while a Bruins goal first would blow the roof off. It’s imperative to both teams to get out to the lead first.

2. How pumped will Roberto Luongo be?

After all the recent bluster made of Roberto Luongo’s comments on how he and Tim Thomas differ in how they play goal, there’s going to be especially strong focus placed on how Luongo plays tonight. After all, his two least memorable performances in the playoffs came in Games 3 and 4 in Boston in the finals. Vancouver could stand to see the Luongo’s who’s showed up in every game at Rogers Arena tonight in Boston. Back in Vancouver, Luongo’s been nothing short of brilliant and a brilliant performance tonight, one that sees him outduel Tim Thomas in goal could not only see him win Vancouver the Stanley Cup and shake off that pesky “choker” label, but also see him take home the Conn Smythe Trophy as well. If the bad Luongo shows up, not only will Thomas not “pump his tires” we’ll all be too busy throwing him under the bus to notice he’s gone flat.

3. Comeback of the Bruins offense

The Bruins played a less-than stellar Game 5 in Vancouver and got less than nothing out of their forward scoring units. The top line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Rich Peverley after looking so strong in Game 4 was virtually invisible in Game 5. Don’t expect this line to be quiet tonight as they’ll get the matchups they’re looking for thanks to having the last change. If the Bruins can’t get that line going tonight, look for things to get a slight shakeup and for Michael Ryder to again get swapped in and out with Peverley to see if they can get things firing offensively. If that can’t get the offense going, it might be tough sledding for the Bruins tonight.

4. Can Vancouver stay physical and smart

The Canucks came out and pounded the Bruins physically in Game 5 and put the pressure on Boston to be perfect with their passes and puck handling. That all didn’t work out too well for Boston and they wilted as the game wore on and the Canucks found ways to keep the pressure up. Boston gets their opportunity to turn those tables tonight and given how turnover prone the Canucks were during Games 3 and 4, they’d be wise to keep it up. If Vancouver figured out how to attack the Bruins in Game 5 and how to be physical and smart with them, the Bruins will be in for quite the fight tonight.

5. Not-so special teams for everyone

Both teams’ power plays stink. Flat out, they’ve been bad. While a lot of credit is due to the penalty kill units for both teams, much of the fault comes from the ineptitude of both teams’ power play units inability to adjust on the fly. The Bruins problems through the playoffs are well documented and the Canucks issues have come against Boston. While Vancouver’s power play looked improved in Game 5, they’ll have to build on that tonight in Game 6 if they want to steal an advantage from the hometown Bruins. Boston, meanwhile, will look to have their shorthanded units stay lively and try to turn the game around on Vancouver. They were able to score twice shorthanded in Game 3 and they’ve been able to do that throughout the playoffs as well. If they can’t do it with the man advantage, they’ll try to turn the tables when on the kill. Either way, if either of these teams can generate offense with the man advantage, they’re probably leaving Game 6 victorious.