The NHL Experts blog is a collaboration of voices from around and inside the game of hockey. With viewpoints ranging from the press box to the front office, the Experts blog offers unique perspectives for the entire NHL playoffs to keep readers informed of significant storylines in all aspects of the game.

Anyone who watched the Vancouver Canucks edge the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday would agree that the better team walked out the winner.

No surprise there: Vancouver, the regular-season champion, is the heavy favorite to hoist the trophy. The Canucks have an obvious talent advantage, are as big and tough as the B's and have the look of a team on a mission. They dominated the Bruins for long stretches of the second and third periods, and only Tim Thomas' brilliance kept the Canucks off the board until Raffi Torres' goal at 59:42. The final 1-0 score wasn't as close as it suggests.