Game 3 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals was the proverbial turning point of the series in more ways than one.

The Boston Bruins finally found their offensive touch with an 8-1 drubbing laid on the hapless Vancouver Canucks. They also cranked up their defensive pressure and fore-checking and forced Vancouver into decisions. Besides that, the Bruins were dealt the ultimate motivation, delivered in the form of a late and blindsided shoulder-to-head hit by defender Aaron Rome which laid out Nathan Horton that sent the monster forward to the hospital and home for the rest of the finals.

As Horton’s arm was eerily locked in place pointing straight up and as an absolute silence descended on the TD Garden, one could sense the overwhelming swing of momentum, of meaning in the finals. Boston played hard and lost in the first two games, but at times it seemed they were skating through the motions. But the hit on Horton rejuvenated the ailing Boston skates and sent a jolt of purpose, and vengeance, that carried them to a masterful throttling.

But make no mistake. This game was all about the Canucks.

It was about Alxandre Burrows and “Bitegate,” and Maxim Lapierre taunting Patrice Bergeron late in Game 2. They supplied all the motivation needed by their petty schoolyard antics. And don’t think the Bruins forgot they lost Game 2 because of Burrows, who many felt shouldn’t have been allowed to suit up.

It was about Roberto Loungo and how the big goalie looked like he somehow forgot to play the position, letting shots whistle past him this way and that and into the twine, while opposing number Tim Thomas was near perfect with a majestic performance.

It was about the disappearance of the Sedin twins—yet again. They collected all but two shots combined, were a -3 and racked up 10 penalty minutes, due to Daniel’s misconduct after tangling with enforcer Shawn Thornton.

It was about the lack of interest the Canucks displayed throughout the game. It seemed that after they killed off the resulting 5-minute major from Rome’s hit the Canucks were well on their way to continuing their dominance.

But then things fell apart. How is it that a shorthanded Boston routinely outplayed the Canucks’ man advantage throughout the game and tallied two shorthanded goals in the process? Because the Canucks stopped caring. How did Vancouver let up three goals in the last three minutes of the 3rd period? By quitting and showing their true colors. Not sea green and blue, but yellow-bellied cowards.

It was about the Canucks’ self-destructing, which they are good for at least one game a series. It happened twice against Chicago, and countless times in the years before, and this was the game where they lost their head. The hot-headed Daniel Sedin was agitated, Ryan Kessler was holistically ineffective and frustrated and Loungo was lost, just utterly lost in a tidal wave of Bruin shots.

They’ve come back before, and it’s hard to say they won’t do it this time, but their task has become that much harder. They’ve poked the bear and now they’ve unleashed the fury of a sleeping giant—and they have no one to blame but themselves. An 8-1 loss is a loss, and Vancouver still holds the edge in games, 2-1. But Boston has made clear how they intend to play, what remains to be seen is if the Canucks are up to the challenge.