Paille/By S. Bradley

VANCOUVER — The last time the Bruins’ penalty kill got on the ice in a game, it was a disaster.

The Bruins allowed three goals on four Tampa Bay attempts in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final en route to a loss that forced Game 7.

Then in that dramatic final game, neither team’s special teams got involved in a penalty-free contest.

So the Bruins’ penalty kill had to wait this long — until tonight’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against Vancouver at Rogers Arena — for a date with redemption.

“I’m sure if we did get a penalty in Game 7 we would’ve handled it the right way and we would’ve killed it,” said defenseman Johnny Boychuk, who’s oozing optimism despite the fact that he was on the ice for all three Lightning goals against that night. “But we didn’t get a chance to kill one in Game 7, thankfully, because no one wants to be in the box.”

That time of positive thinking is going to come in handy for the Bruins, who aren’t likely to enjoy another penalty-free game. And with the Canucks’ power play on fire over the last six games — 1o-for-27 — Boston’s going to have its hands full when it’s shorthanded.

“Obviously Game 6 was our fallout there on the penalty kill,” said winger Daniel Paille. “We didn’t get that chance in Game 7 but we know that there’s going to be penalties here and we look at the footage and want to change what we wanted to do. When we get the chance, hopefully we can capitalize on it.”