BOSTON // Hit harder and score more. It is the simple and obvious formula for the Boston Bruins for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals.
They dominated both categories in their 8-1 and 4-0 wins over Vancouver in Games 3 and 4.
But the Canucks out hit and outscored them in Game 5, a 1-0 win that gave them a 3-2 series lead and a chance to clinch their first NHL title tonight in Boston.
"They out hit us and they seemed hungrier," Claude Julien, the Boston coach, said. "That's where we should have been able to push back and we didn't do that well enough.
"We're aware of that and we certainly would like to have another crack at it. We have to show that in our building here next game and hopefully, again, having another crack at going down there and showing that we can push back as well."
But they also need to score.
"When you don't score I think you need to improve in more than the physical play," Julien said. "That's an area that I don't think we've done a good enough job in Vancouver."
The Bruins have lost all three road games in the series — 1-0, 3-2 and 1-0.
"Roberto [Luongo] has been good," Julien said. "As we all know, he's an elite goaltender, but I don't think we've made his life as hard in Vancouver as we did here in Boston."
* Associated Press