Maxim Lapierre has frustrated and irritated the Boston Bruins and their fans all Stanley Cup Finals long. His goal in the third period of Game 5 won't help things. Lapierre picked the puck up off on the goal line near the Boston net and stuck it right into the crease, where it bounced off of a flopping, not-yet-recovered Tim Thomas to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
Bruins Vs. Canucks, Game 5 Score: Max Lapierre Barely Beats Tim Thomas, Gives Vancouver 1-0 Lead
And the City of Vancouver, with an estimated 70,000 people crowding the streets and another 20,000 inside Rogers Arena, completely exploded. It's the first meaningful goal for the Canucks since last Saturday, when Alex Burrows scored in overtime to give his team an overtime win in Game 2.
It’s become a trend: the antagonists of the Canucks have been the ones putting the pucks past Thomas. The Hockey Gods can have quite the sense of humor sometimes.
The play was really pretty smart by Vancouver. After a few nice chances that were turned aside by Thomas, Kevin Bieksa picked the puck up along the boards near the top of the circle. He quickly whipped it behind the net to Lapierre, who stepped up and beat Thomas before he could recover his position. For the record, Thomas still almost stopped it. He's still superhuman, regardless.
Can Vancouver hold the lead? They’ll certainly have to keep up the intensity. Plenty of time left.
The Stanley Cup Finals are ongoing, as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Boston Bruins. Stick with this StoryStream for full coverage of Game 5. For coverage on the Finals, stick with our Stanley Cup Finals hub, our Canucks blog, Nucks Misconduct, and our Bruins blog, Stanley Cup of Chowder.
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