The Bruins scored their first two goals of the series to take a 2-1 lead and carried the play for the bulk of the second period. But when the third period rolled around, Vancouver started rolling again.
The Canucks took control in the third, outshooting Boston 11-5. Just one of those 11 shots got past Tim Thomas, but it was enough to tie the game and force overtime, where the Canucks needed just 11 seconds and one shot to post the 3-2 win.
They only needed one shot to get by Thomas in Game 1 as well, and that also came in the third. Vancouver outshot Boston 14-10 in that frame, with Raffi Torres scoring the game's only goal with 18.5 seconds left.
Two games. Two goals for the Canucks to none for the Bruins in third period. Two wins for Vancouver, which is now halfway to a Cup before ever setting foot in Boston.
"Yeah, if you look at our stats during the regular season, I think we were the best team in the third period as far as scoring goals," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. "So that hasn't changed throughout the playoffs. We can push the pace and create scoring chances. I thought we did. I thought the [Sedin] twins, that line, really took over in the third and spent a lot of time in their end wearing down their defense. It paid off for us. We were able to tie the game. I'm sure that has not happened very often to Boston this year, where they gave up a lead."
The Bruins were among the best at protecting a lead, going 30-2-2 when leading after two periods in the regular season. They were 6-0 in the playoffs with a lead heading into the third until Saturday.
The Canucks bucked that trend, and did it by rolling four lines against the Bruins, which used its fourth line sparingly. Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille played just 4:18 and 4:19, respectively, while Tyler Seguin (8:46) also saw limited ice as Rich Peverley moved up and down the lineup.
The Canucks, meanwhile, got Manny Malhotra back and suddenly had the confidence to play all four of their lines in crunch time.
"I think we have four lines that go out there and play the same way," said Daniel Sedin, who scored the goal to tie it at 9:37 of the third. "We get pucks deep. We forecheck really hard. It wears teams down. It's been like this the whole season. It's nothing new for us. I think when we're at our best, we usually have a lot of success in the third period."
Bruins forward Milan Lucic, who scored Boston's first goal of the series in the second period, gave the Canucks their due for their relentless attack in the third.
"You have to give them credit too," Lucic said. "They played well. They weren't going to give up and they kept coming. They're a team that fights to the finish. It's a game of momentum swings."
The Bruins did their part in helping Vancouver regain the momentum. They got away from the things that were succeeding for them in the second, and it was those breakdowns that concerned Boston coach Claude Julien more than how Vancouver played in the third.
"Well, I think it's not what's alarming right now, it's what we need to do better," Julien said. "I don't know if it's them taking over in the third period. I think our team has to certainly be better with our puck management and our decision making. We need to play a little bit more like we did in the second period. And we're capable of doing that, so we've got to go back home, regroup, and get back to work."
