By: Camryn Meece | Follow me on Twitter / X @MeeceCamryn
The Boston Bruins entered Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final looking for a win. The Vancouver Canucks won both games on home ice to start the Final, giving them a 2-0 series lead heading into Boston. With the next two games scheduled at TD Garden, the Bruins had an opportunity to even the series in front of their home crowd. However, just over five minutes into Game 3, Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome delivered a hit that changed the night. Bruins forward Nathan Horton was left motionless on the ice after taking a hit to the head, and the game was stopped.
At 5:07 of the first period, Horton passed the puck to Milan Lucic near the blue line before continuing up the ice. As the Bruins forward moved away from the play, Rome stepped up and delivered a shoulder hit to his head. Horton immediately fell to the ice as players from both teams gathered around him. Medical personnel attended to Horton before taking him off the ice on a stretcher. He suffered a severe concussion that would keep him out for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Final.
Rome received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Department of Player Safety reviewed the incident and handed him a four-game suspension the following day, ruling him out for the remainder of the Final. When Rome spoke with reporters ahead of Game 6, he acknowledged that the hit was “a little bit over the edge.” He said he wished Horton hadn’t been injured but maintained that he wouldn’t change his decision on the play.
The Bruins did not score on the five-minute power play that followed the hit, and the first period ended without a goal. During the first intermission, the players talked about finishing the game for Horton. “First intermission we just told ourselves that we were going to do it for Horty and that just gave us more motivation to do well and play harder,” Dennis Seidenberg said after the game.
The Bruins followed through on that promise when the second period got underway. Just 11 seconds after the puck dropped, Andrew Ference sent a shot through traffic and past Roberto Luongo to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Vancouver’s Jeff Tambellini was called for hooking shortly afterward, giving Boston a power play that Mark Recchi converted at 4:22. The physical play continued, with Ference called for tripping and Milan Lucic later assessed a slashing penalty. At 11:30, Brad Marchand added a shorthanded goal to put Boston up 3-0. David Krejci scored at 15:47, giving the Bruins a four-goal lead heading into the third. The period ended with another penalty against Boston, as Johnny Boychuk received a double minor for high-sticking.
The penalties continued to pile up in the third period, with several confrontations breaking out between the two teams. Michael Ryder was called for roughing early in the period, while Zdeno Chara and Alex Burrows each received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. A few minutes later, Andrew Ference and Daniel Sedin were both given misconducts, followed by another misconduct for Shawn Thornton. Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler was also called for boarding. Ference received another misconduct late in the period, bringing the Bruins’ total to four misconduct penalties issued to three players.
Milan Lucic and Alex Burrows also got into it during a scrum. Lucic pointed toward Burrows’ mouth, referring to Game 1 when Burrows bit Patrice Bergeron’s finger. The exchange was followed by a fight between Dennis Seidenberg and Ryan Kesler, who dropped their gloves and received five-minute fighting majors.
Despite the penalties and confrontations, Boston kept scoring. Daniel Paille added a shorthanded goal at 11:38 to make it 5-0. Jannik Hansen scored for Vancouver just over two minutes later. Still, Mark Recchi answered with his second goal of the night at 17:39. Chris Kelly followed 27 seconds later, and Michael Ryder added a power-play goal in the final minute.
By the end of the game, the Bruins had recorded 40 hits and received 65 penalty minutes, including four misconduct penalties. Vancouver finished with 27 hits and 60 penalty minutes, bringing the combined total to 125. Boston also scored eight goals, including two power-play and two shorthanded. The victory cut Vancouver’s series lead to 2-1.
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