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Five Thoughts on Boston’s 8-1 pounding of Vancouver in Game 3

Vancouver Canucks v Boston Bruins - Game Three

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 06: Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins waves to the crowd after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in Game Three of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 6, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 8 to 1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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For a blowout game with not much to worry about competition wise, we’re left with a lot to digest. Here’s the five thoughts we’re stuck with after a ridiculous and incredible Game 3.

1. Aaron Rome’s hit on Nathan Horton is one of the more awful and memorable scenes in the game and while justice is very likely to come for Rome later today Boston’s chances to win the Stanley Cup take a distinctive hit if Horton is out long term. We can only assume that Horton will be out for the rest of the series and losing one of your top three forwards makes the hill to climb to win the series so much harder.

Horton’s been a huge factor in the playoffs for Boston and losing his presence and production hurts a lot. The Bruins did well tonight to step up in his absence thanks to Rich Peverley filling in on the top line but they’ll need to find a way to replace his production. It likely means that Tyler Seguin gets back into the lineup but where he’ll figure into the mix with the rest of the players will make Claude Julien’s job a lot rougher.

2. Speaking of Julien, give him a lot of credit. While the taunting stuff was a bit out of hand from Boston thanks to Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic giving it back to Vancouver, Julien read those guys the riot act for their taunts. Both Recchi and Lucic said after the game that Julien sternly took them to task acting up the way they did. Julien tore up Vancouver’s Maxim Lapierre for taunting Patrice Bergeron the way he did in Game 2. Julien doing what he did tonight to dress down both Recchi and Lucic was good for business for the Bruins but also for Julien himself. Taking a stand and sticking to it is admirable in this case.

3. With the silly talk that Tim Thomas needed to change his aggressive style up after losing the first two games he certainly did his part to shut everyone up in Game 3. While the game was a blowout in Boston’s favor, Vancouver still outshot them and Thomas stood tall stopping 40 shots and just missing out on a shutout. We’d made it clear here that Thomas didn’t need to change anything up at all and he showed exactly why that was the case in Game 3.

4. After the game, Henrik Sedin was asked about a quote he’d said in the past about how getting blown out is an easier way to lose than losing a heart breaker late or in overtime. He thought about it for a second and said that he might have to re-think that after tonight’s loss. With all the shenanigans going on in the last two periods of tonight’s game and with how the wheels came off for Vancouver, it would seem like the sort of game that Vancouver could forget about easily. The fear of Boston perhaps finding a point to rally behind now, especially with Horton out, is there. Letting sleeping dogs lie where they’re at would’ve worked out great for Vancouver here.

5. 25 years ago yesterday the Canucks traded prospect Cam Neely to Boston and a first round pick for Denis Pederson. It also worked out nicely that yesterday was also his birthday. Upon seeing Neely after the game was over I asked him if the way the Canucks played made him enjoy “Bruins hockey” all the more. His answer was short and telling: “You’d better believe it.” Turning 46 years-old had to feel pretty good for Neely after Game 3.