After a scoreless first period of Game 3, the game itself got off to the exact kind of start both the Boston Bruins and the NHL did not want to see.
Just 5:07 into the first period Boston’ s Nathan Horton dished the puck off to Milan Lucic coming across the blue line when he was hit late by Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome. The hit put Horton down on the ice immediately where he laid there dazed and not moving. Horton was tended to by doctors for minutes before being removed from the ice on a stretcher and taken to Mass General Hospital in Boston. Horton was reported to be moving all extremities and we’ll find out more about his condition after the game and the days to come.
Rome was given a five minute major for interference and a game misconduct tossing him rightfully from the game.
On the ensuing five minute power play, the Bruins were able to do nothing on it as the Canucks smothered opportunities and killed the major off. Aside from that power play, the Canucks carried the majority of the play and again created turnovers by the Bruins defense and peppered Tim Thomas with shots. Thomas was equal to the task including a pair of incredible stops on Chris Higgins and Mason Raymond up close.
Thomas finished the period with 12 saves while Roberto Luongo finished with seven stops. The Bruins will need to find a way to rally to start the second period and get angry (but controlled) play from everyone to swing the play in the game. Vancouver, meanwhile, will continue trying to speed the Bruins out of the game as their attack and speed is again causing issues for Boston.