5 Keys to Winning Game 7

The eyes of millions of New England residents will be locked on Vancouver tonight as the Boston Bruins take on the Canucks in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It has been the Bruins' hard-hitting and solid defensive play that have gotten them to within one win of Lord Stanley's Cup and here are Marblehead Patch's picks for the 5 things that have to go right tonight:

1. Tim Thomas Has to Play Up to His Potential: If Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas continues to play the kind of hockey he has been playing for the Bruins all post-season, fans can expect to see a low number in the opposing team's goal total. The Boston Bruins need Thomas to show up and execute the same kind of hard-nosed, unorthodoxed style that has him positioned to win this year's Vezina Trophy.

2. Bruins Need to Finish Their Checks: Throughout the 2011 NHL playoffs, commentators have attributed the Bruins' success in games 5, 6 and 7 to the fact that they have worn down their opponents with punishing checks and hard-nosed play. If the Bruins want to win in Vancouver tonight, they are going to have to finish their checks, dig the puck out of the corners and establish themselves as the tougher team early and often.

3. Capitalize on the Power Play: It has been the story of the 2011 NHL Playoffs for the Boston Bruins. In the first two series, the Boston Bruins were barely able to register a power-play goal and found themselves being booed by their own fans when they would fail to put one in the net with a one-man advantage. The Boston Bruins need to remain aggressive on the power play and continue to do what has been working for them over the last few games.

4. Pepper Roberto Luongo Early: Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was chased out of Game 6 after giving up four goals in just under 10 minutes. However, at each of the games played in Vancouver so far, Luongo has been lights out. The Boston Bruins need to score on Luongo in the early-goings of Game 7 or at least fire enough shots on net to make him uncomfortable on home ice.

5. No Stupid Penalties: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals is notorious for being a "let the boys play" kind of game. The refs are typically reluctant to blow the whistle and generally won't do so unless a penalty is particularly egregious. The Bruins are the away team and have been the more aggressive all series, so they need to avoid playing short-handed against a Vancouver Canucks team that needs no help scoring at home.

Have another suggestion for how the Boston Bruins can lock up the Stanley Cup tonight? Let us know in the comments section.