Sixty-nine shots, 69 saves. It looked like Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was headed for overtime without a goal being scored in regulation – something that hadn't happened since 1927.
But shot No. 70 changed everything.
With the clock ticking down under 20 seconds to play in regulation, Raffi Torres converted a perfect feed from Jannik Hansen for the game's only goal, giving the Vancouver Canucks a 1-0 victory and a one-game lead over the Boston Bruins. Torres' goal broke up a goaltending duel between Roberto Luongo (36 saves) and Tim Thomas (33).
With Supertramp and Bruno Mars taking over Rogers Arena for the next couple of days before the series resumes on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, RDS), here is your daily NHL.com Reading List, a set of quick links to some of the stories you won't want to miss:
Luongo overcomes a big obstacle
Having seen Chicago succeed against Roberto Luongo last year by planting 6-foot-5 Dustin Byfuglien in front of the crease, the Boston Bruins tried the same tactic with an even bigger obstacle – 6-foot-9 Zdeno Chara, who did his best to make Luongo's life miserable during Boston's six power plays. But as Dave Lozo reports, this time, it didn't work.
Everything but goals
The Boston Bruins shut down Vancouver's Sedin twins, generated shots on the power play, defused the Canucks' extra-man unit and got a brilliant performance in goal from Tim Thomas. The only thing they couldn't do, as Corey Masisak notes, is score.
Torres comes up big
A year ago at this time, Raffi Torres was getting ready to look for a job. Now, as Dan Rosen notes, he's a hero in Vancouver after scoring the only goal in the Canucks' Game 1 victory.
Chara plays every role for Bruins but winner
There wasn't much Zdeno Chara didn't do for the Boston Bruins in Game 1 – he even stepped into the faceoff circle and beat Ryan Kesler on a draw during a first-period power play. But as Corey Masisak reports, the only thing Chara couldn't do was give the Bruins a win. Chara talked with the media after the game.
Henrik Sedin has to be better
The Canucks won Game 1 without much help from their captain. Henrik Sedin generated little offense and lost 17 of 25 faceoffs – not a good night for the NHL's leader in playoff scoring this spring. Dave Lozo was among those who talked with Sedin after the game.
Cory's story / Behind the Rask
Both backup goaltenders in this year's Stanley Cup Final are sharing their thoughts with NHL.com readers, offering a unique perspective on the drive to win hockey's biggest prize.
Shanahan to succeed Campbell
Brendan Shanahan likes tough tasks – and he's got a big one. The NHL announced Wednesday that Shanahan, a 600-goal scorer and one of the great power forwards in NHL history, will succeed Colin Campbell as the NHL's chief disciplinarian, as well as head a new, enhanced department dealing with player safety.
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