You knew Game 4 was going to see a bit more of the rough stuff between Boston and Vancouver one way or another. After all the insanity that we saw in Game 3 and all the chatter and sniping both teams were doing at each other things had to boil over in the midst of yet another Bruins beat down against the Canucks.
Sure enough we would see the usual suspects center around everything in the end of it all. It all started with just under 2:30 left to play in the third period and the Bruins ahead 4-0 when Brad Marchand would make his presence felt drawing a penalty for clotheslining Christian Ehrhoff. Marchand would touch the puck up to get the whistle for the penalty but not before dumping Daniel Sedin with a hip check that sent Sedin tumbling to the ice.
Marchand had his gloves off and ready to fight the oncoming Keith Ballard meanwhile Adam McQuaid jumped in to deal with Ehrhoff who tried to get involved with Marchand. You can never keep these two teams apart for too long. Marchand would receive three minor penalties on the play getting one each for roughing, tripping, and holding. Keith Ballard also received a roughing minor while McQuaid got a ten minute misconduct.
With Marchand going off like that it seemed like a very foolish move on his part. After all the game was virtually over with and now he’d given the Canucks a reason to be motivated in Game 5 to get back at them. Luckily for the Bruins, Alex Burrows still plays for Vancouver.
While the Canucks were on a four minute power play to close out the third period, Burrows parked himself in front of Tim Thomas and started having his own brand of fun. Burrows took a whack at Thomas’ stick trying to knock it out of his hands and when Burrows backed in a little closer to Thomas’ crease, Thomas chopped Burrows in the ankle with his stick. As you might expect, that didn’t sit too well and Burrows went after Thomas and the two exchanged blows while Ryan Kesler and Zdeno Chara came together to exchange pleasantries.
Thomas received two minutes for slashing while Burrows got two for cross checking. Chara and Kesler came out worse for the penalty wear each receiving two for roughing and a ten minute misconduct. Burrows instigating that whole brouhaha effectively wipes the slate clean for nonsense as both teams and now they both have even more reasons for hating each other a little harder.
With Game 5 ahead on Friday night we can basically circle anyone and everyone for a potential scrum. And you thought everyone was going to play nicely.