2011 Stanley Cup Finals

Stanley Cup Finals

1 Vancouver (-135) vs. 3 Boston (+110)

How they got here:

Vancouver beat - Chicago 4-3, Nashville 4-2, San Jose 4-1
Boston beat - Montreal 4-3, Philadelphia 4-0, Tampa Bay 4-3

As the puck drops on the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, I stand proud of my preseason prediction. From the beginning of the season, I had Boston over Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Finals. I got the two participants right, but will I have the correct champion? The Bruins have survived two 7-game series to get to this point. Vancouver has gotten better as the playoffs have gone on. Throughout the regular season, Boston was the best team in 5-on-5 situations, while Vancouver was the best in virtually every other situation. Two of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy also square off in this one. All of these factors should lead to a long and exciting series.

Vancouver is looking to become the first Canadian team to bring home Lord Stanley's Cup in 18 years, when Montreal won it. Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa have all tried and failed since. Boston is one of the NHL's original teams, but has not tasted a title in 39 years. This seems like an eternity in a town that has seen every other professional team from a major sport win a title in the past decade.

At the beginning of the season I picked Boston to win the Cup versus Vancouver. At the beginning of the playoffs, I took it a step further and picked Boston to beat Vancouver in 7 games. I see no reason to change now.

Prediction - Boston over Vancouver 4-3