Gameday: Vancouver at Boston - Stanley Cup Final, Game Three

The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks will meet Monday night in game three of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden in Boston.  The Canucks lead the series two games to none, having won game one in the final 20 seconds and then winning game two 11 seconds into sudden death overtime on a goal from Alex Burrows. Burrows playing in the game was an issue for many, as he had bit Patrice Bergeron in game one and it was widely believed that he should have been suspended for Saturday night's game.  For the second game in a row, both goaltenders were exceptional with several great saves.  Tonight is, so far, the biggest game of the series, as the Bruins try and get some life while the Canucks attempt to put a stranglehold on the championship series.

For Boston, coach Claude Julien will give the nod in net to Tim Thomas, who has played every minute of the playoffs so far.  He has glowing statistics in these playoffs, posting a .930 save percentage which is second in the NHL and a 2.27 GAA, which is fifth.  He is also tied for second in postseason shutouts with two, and is one of the primary reasons the Bruins have gotten this far in the playoffs. Boston is led in scoring by David Kreci, who has 18 points.  Outside the crease, the Bruins are likely going to stick with their lineup, which means that Shawn Thornton will be a healthy scratch again to make room for Tyler Seguin, although Thornton could play; it has not been formally announced yet.

Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault will call on Roberton Luongo in nets, the Quebecois' 20th start of the playoffs and his 21st appearance.  Luongo is having an excellent postseason as well, ranking second in GAA at 2.16 and third in save percentage at .928.  He also leads all goalies in postseason shutouts (3).  The Canucks are paced in scoring by their captain, Henrik Sedin, who has 21 points, which also leads all of the NHL in these playoffs.  On the injury front, defenseman Dan Hamhuis is not expected to play with an injury he sustained in game one, while Mikael Samuelsson has already been declared out for the rest of the postseason.

Puck drops for this one 8:15-ish.