VANCOUVER, British Columbia — In a mere 11 seconds, Alex Burrows used the strengths of the Boston Bruins’ two best defensive players against them.
In one electric moment, the Vancouver Canucks’ scrappy winger made sure he’ll be remembered for something other than his infamous bite in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Everybody knew Burrows was fast. Just not this fast.
Burrows circled the net and scored a stunning goal right off the overtime faceoff, capping a three-point night and ending the Canucks’ 3-2 win in Game 2 on Saturday night with the second-speediest overtime goal in NHL playoff history.
Vancouver took a 2-0 lead in the series thanks to the brilliance of Burrows, who avoided suspension for this game after being accused of biting Boston’s Patrice Bergeron in Game 1 — but still endured criticism from fans and media.
“My parents don’t really like the negative press I get sometimes,” Burrows said. “It hurts them, not me.”
Burrows scored on a power play in the first period, and he set up Daniel Sedin’s tying goal midway through the third period with a sharp pass from the slot.
And after the overtime draw, Burrows received a pass from Sedin and streaked down the side, eluding Boston captain Zdeno Chara behind the net. He extended his stick for a wraparound shot, beating out-of-position goalie Tim Thomas for his second goal of the game.
“As soon as I got the puck, I knew I was going to fake a shot and then try to beat him,” Burrows said. “I lost the puck in front of Tim Thomas, but I got it back, and I got it in.”
Burrows’ speed turned the strengths of Chara and Thomas into huge problems. Although the 6-foot-9 Chara is a massive obstacle, he wasn’t mobile enough to match Burrows’ slick turn behind the net, not even with his enormous reach.
Thomas is an aggressive goalie with a Vezina Trophy at home, but his aggression sometimes gets him away from the net.
“We knew our scouting report on Thomas,” Burrows said. “We know he likes to come out and challenge and freeze you, so if I shoot there, I think he stops it and covers all the angles.”
Roberto Luongo made 28 saves for the Canucks, and Thomas stopped 30 shots for the Bruins. He was left lamenting his positional error after another otherwise strong game.
Only four teams have rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to win the Stanley Cup Finals in 46 tries, although Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins did it against the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.
Thomas’ style costly
Goaltender Tim Thomas stopped 30 shots for the Bruins, but his trademark aggressiveness put him too far away from his net during the brief overtime. Alex Burrows then used his speed to elude the 6-foot-9 Zdeno Chara before slipping the puck into Thomas’ unguarded net.
