DBJ's Stanley Cup prediction

Never mind that:

• The Winnipeg deal is finally out in the open...yet no realignment until next season - what's up with that?  (Oh, and good luck on your season ticket drive!)
• Certain people in certain quarters of Columbus are wiping aside tears of joy that Kevin Dineen finally got himself an NHL head coaching job - and because it'll be in Miami, it'll provide all the anonymity Dineen can handle...and more!  (We don't want the poor man to feel uncomfortable, you know...)
• Columbus has eschewed monsoon season for 90 degree heat
• Yours truly wrapped up the writing component of his academic career yesterday (graduation on the 10th!)

...There's still a Stanley Cup Finals to START!  (Maybe Mrs. DBJ has a point...this season DOES run a tad long.)

Thus, it's time to offer my prediction for the last few games of the 2010-2011 NHL season.  And kick myself for not betting on Vancouver to hoist the Cup when they were at 12-1 odds.

Canucks will win before Game 6

(Whether a 4-game sweep or a 4-1 series win, I can't say.  But it won't hit 6.)

Sorry, Boston, I'm rooting for you but just don't see you matching the firepower of the 'nucks, especially now that the Flying Sedin Brothers have decided to show up.  Vancouver's resident jackwagon, Ryan Kessler, has been a one-man wrecking crew throughout the playoffs.  And then there's Luongo.  If he can stop probing the dark recesses of his mind while in between the pipes, he's good enough to steal a game.  And then there's the former Blue Jackets Factor, with Raffi Torres and Aaron Rome playing and fast-healing Manny Malhotra edging closer to a Finals appearance after nearly losing his eyesight.

Boston's defense appears solid, and Michigander Tim Thomas (who grew up not far from yours truly, apparently) is always a glorious adventure in goaltending.  But the Bruins' forwards, while they can rush up the ice with the best of 'em, seem to have accuracy issues that make the Blue Jackets look like snipers.  I've never seen an entire group of forwards so unable to finish a play.  

The Bruins might have enough defense to steal a game, especially on home ice where the refs are jaw-droppingly oblivious to their rough level of play, but they don't have much more.  The Canucks will overwhelm the Bruins, plain and simple.  

But the Bruins have the better marketing department. 

Enjoy the games, everyone!