I’ve been a casual Bruins fan since the days of Cam Neely, Adam Oates, and Ray Bourque (that was a killer threesome in NHLPA ’93 for Super Nintendo). When things for Boston were so bad that they traded Bourque to Colorado so he would have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, I cheered for the Avalanche (because that’s what every Bruins fan did). The failure of the Joe Thornton-era Bruins against Montreal before the lockout were devastating to the franchise, ultimately leading the club to trade Thornton a month into the 2005-06 season (the Bruins were pretty solid in NHL ’03, but unfortunately, Byron Dafoe was a much more effective video game goalie than a real life one). Thornton going on to win the MVP the very same year he was traded seemed to doom the Bruins to a decade of futility.
Which makes where we are today all the more amazing. Boston enters its first Conference Finals since 1992 tomorrow night when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tim Thomas (who is the biggest reason Boston has been able to rebound from the Thornton trade to make the playoffs the past four seasons) is squaring off against fellow old-timer Dwayne Roloson in a battle of two ancient goaltenders that are on a roll. Thomas turned in a masterpiece in Game 3 of the Flyers series, stopping 46 straight shots after surrendering two early goals to help Boston steal the game in double overtime. Roloson has been on fire ever since Tampa fell behind 3 games to 1 against Pittsburgh. Often hockey comes down to which team has the hotter goalie. In this case, both old dudes cancel each other out.
Where this series will be won is in the match-up between the Boston defensemen against Tampa Bay’s highly skilled forwards. Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are playing almost as well as they did during Tampa’s 2004 Stanley Cup Finals run. Steven Stamkos has cemented his status as one of the game’s elite. Journeyman Sean Bergenheim has come out of nowhere to lead the league in playoff goals scored. Boston has a pretty deep defensive unit, but I’m not sure they will be able to contain the Lightning attack for a seven game series.
This year’s run by the Bruins has been a thrill. I’ve been sucked in since Game 3 of the first round against Montreal. In my heart, I want to see Boston win, but in my head I don’t see it happening. Roloson will give Boston a much tougher test than the revolving door in goal the Flyers were throwing at them. Look for Tampa’s superior firepower to prevail.
PREDICTION = Lightning in 7
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