Bruins resting up to play Canucks

BOSTON - The Prince of Wales trophy sat untouched on a table in the middle of the ice. It's not the one that Zdeno Chara is hoping to take for a skate.

Instead, the Boston Bruins captain waved his teammates over to pose for a picture.

"I liked the touch that Zee had, bringing the group around the trophy," general manager Peter Chiarelli said Saturday, a day after the Bruins beat Tampa Bay, 1-0, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to earn a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.

Tim Thomas stopped 24 shots for his third career playoff shutout - his second of the conference finals - and Nathan Horton deflected a pass from David Krejci into the net with 7 minutes, 33 seconds left for the only goal. With that, the Bruins earned the right to play the Vancouver Canucks for their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

No one seemed happier than backup goalie Tuukka Rask, who has not played in the postseason.

The Bruins took the day off Saturday to rest after their seven-game series. They will return to practice Sunday and leave Monday for Vancouver, where they will play Games 1 and 2 on Wednesday and Saturday. The series returns to Boston on June 6 and 8.

Malhotra cleared to play. Vancouver center Manny Malhotra has been cleared to play in the Stanley Cup Finals, Canucks coach Alain Vigneault reported after practice Saturday.

Vigneault would not say if Malhotra will be in the lineup Wednesday. Malhotra has been sidelined since March 16, when he was hit in the left eye by a puck. He's had several operations since.