Published June 9, 2011

Backed by the stellar goaltending of Tim Thomas, the Boston Bruins came back to Boston, held serve and won — no, destroyed — Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday.

The series is now tied at two and headed back to Vancouver, where a fan-packed Rogers Stadium erupted with cheers when — after Rich Peverley scored his second goal of the evening — Canucks coach Alain Vigneault waved the white flag for Luongo and removed him from the game.

Bruins center Rich Peverley celebrates his first-period goal against the Vancouver Canucks Wednesday. (AP)

The Canucks tried to take their cue from their coach and get in the “blue paint” and disrupt Thomas’ aggressiveness. They had no chance, as Thomas was his feisty self and his teammates would have none of it. The Canucks had two power plays in the first period, which the Bruins killed off with more spectacular goaltending, while the Bruins had a good advantage in puck possession, but only seven shots. But one of those shots was on a Peverley breakaway and thus the beginning of the end for Luongo and the fight-less hockey team from the Great Northwest.

It has been Bruins hockey since their return to Boston, as they have fought and clawed and broken down the Canucks, outscoring them 12-1 in two games at the Garden.
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Published June 9, 2011

“It’s spring,” the weather alleged. “I swear.”

Most Bostonians will find that hard to believe today, with temperatures expected to climb into the high 90s, or even to triple-digits.

Legislators on Beacon Hill are eying a compromise gambling bill that would allow for slots at the state’s racetracks and three resort-style casinos, according to the Herald. The bill would be close to the plan Gov. Deval Patrick favored last year.

Testimony ended yesterday in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Sal DiMasi and two co-defendants. The lawyers are now battling over how Judge Mark Wolf should instruct the jury before they begin their deliberations.

Boston College filed a motion in U.S. District Court hoping to stop British authorities from seizing documents related to an oral history project that features confidential interviews with members of Northern Ireland’s Provisional Irish Republican Army.

As Attorney General Martha Coakley is investigating for-profit colleges for deceptive recruiting and financing practices, the state is considering regulating the industry.

Even after tornadoes rip through town, life goes on. The seniors at Monson High School graduated last night, a week after much of their town was destroyed.

Home cooking has been good for the Bruins. Led by brick wall/goalie Tim Thomas, the team beat the Canucks 4-0 to even the Stanley Cup finals series at two games apiece. The finals now come down to a best-of-three series, and Vancouver has home-ice advantage.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on layoffs at Boston Apparel in Taunton, the funeral for the mother who died shielding her daughter from last week’s tornadoes and the move that would see Cambridge paying same-sex married couples to defray what local officials called a discriminatory federal tax.