Bruins - Canucks: The Return Match

Respect, which Henrik Sedin and "the vegetarian" Alexandre Burrows will have an opportunity to earn if they man up and show some toughness and pride.

Respect, which Vigneault has already given up any hope of restoring when he complained about the start time of the game earlier this week.

Sure, the two points are important for teams that are at or near the top of their division, but there are bigger things at play in this game.

For Bruins fans, this isn't just a game against a newly-minted rival. This is the Game Seven that they never got to witness, and they'll come ready for it, surely having heeded the advice of local social conduct maven Tom Brady and having started early.

And it will be a chance to thumb their nose at any Vancouver fan intrepid enough to make the 2,600-mile jaunt across the continent; after all, the two points might be important, but for at least one day, the Stanley Cup means an awful lot again.

But when it comes down to it, there's still a hockey game to play. If Boston, which has scored 17 unanswered goals on TD Garden ice, keeps up their current pace, they'll put Vancouver in a world of hurt early and not look back.

If the Canucks come out fighting - and anyone with a seat on a radio show has already decided they won't - it may indeed be a back-and-forth battle with skill and speed colliding with strength and determination.

Boston may win, Vancouver may win. It may be a blowout or go to the tenth round of a shootout.

But either way, the title's safe in Boston.