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Game 7 on the way: Boston thumps Roberto Luongo, Vancouver 5-2 to tie series 3-3

Vancouver Canucks v Boston Bruins - Game Six

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 13: Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins tends goal as fans cheer during Game Six against the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 13, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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There wouldn’t be a shutout for Tim Thomas in this one, but it matters not as the Bruins beat down the Canucks 5-2 in Game 6 to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Wednesday night in Vancouver.

Tim Thomas carried the night for Boston stopping 35 shots and helping the Bruins along to a seventh game on the road that sees the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks closed out the game with a little bit of fight and got Henrik Sedin off the schneid scoring a power play goal early in the third period, his first point of the finals. That bit of good fortune wouldn’t last long as the Bruins would get some puck luck thanks to the post stopping a Jannik Hansen shot that would’ve made it 4-2.

The Bruins would also get their second power play goal of the game thanks to a tap in from David Krejci. The power play marker saw Mark Recchi earn his third assist of the game and help the Bruins roll to victory. Maxim Lapierre would add a late goal to provide the difference maker at 5-2.

For Boston, their emphatic first period sent the message that they were not here to mess around and wanted to get things taken care of early. Scoring four goals in the first period and chasing Roberto Luongo (five saves) will do that. While Cory Schneider would replace Luongo and play solidly in his stead, the Bruins merely had to play things out over the final 40 minutes. Vancouver would carry the play for the majority of the final 40 minutes but not nearly enough to spur the comeback they were looking for to try and avoid a Game 7.

Instead, they’ll have to regroup in a big way before Wednesday’s game in Vancouver. With Luongo coming up incredibly small again on the road, it’ll create doubt among many onlookers even in spite of Luongo’s incredible numbers at home in the playoffs. For Boston, they did their job to hold serve at home and force a Game 7, doing so in the way they did now shifts the pressure to Vancouver to once again protect home ice and to once again find a way to win with the pressure on. Enviable position for Boston? Perhaps it is.

Here are the highlights from Game 6:

After the game, Mike Milbury spoke with Bruins goalie Tim Thomas:

NBC’s Darren Pang spoke to Boston’s Milan Lucic during the post-game: