Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals

A sharp glance at the finalists in the Eastern Conference and you are likely to catch a few raised brows from NHL experts to casual fans.  The Washington Capitals seemed poised for a deep run in the playoffs.  We knew the Flyers had goaltender issues, but a red-hot offense had masked that flaw in the previous series against the Sabres. However, little did we know that two veteran goaltenders, Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson, would dominant the series' like they did.  To recap, I had taken Boston in 6 and Washington in 6.  Boston would instead sweep the Flyers and the Lightning quickly removed of the Capitals with a sweep of their own. 

Therefore, it's the Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Boston Bruins for the chance to win Lord Stanley's Cup.  In an effort to freshen up the experience I'll give a brief scouting report on the offense, defense, and goalies of the respective teams and who I think has the advantage.


Offense

The Lightning offense is quick to strike.

The Tampa Bay Lightning unquestionably carry the more recognizable weapons in this category.  Stamkos has picked his game up, Marty St. Louis leads the East in points, and Sean Bergenheim has been on a torrid pace putting him in a tie for goals thus far in postseason play.  Not to mention a stable that houses Vinny Lecavalier, Steve Downie, and Simon Gagne who is returning from an injury.  The Bruins on the other hand, rely on contributions from a supporting cast that consists mostly of young talent.  They will be without Patrice Bergeron which could spell trouble for the B's in this series. The burden will then be placed on the shoulders Brad Marchand, Nathan Horton, and David Krejci.  With the goaltender play on each team, goals could be at a premium. Time to see if the young guns on Boston can get timely goals or the Lightning simply overpower the Bruins with that explosive core.

Advantage: Tampa Bay Lightning

Can Chara's phyiscal play keep Tampa at bay?

Defense
The Bruins have a blue line group that is anchored by big man Zdeno Chara. He is supported by Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, and Johnny Boychuk. They are a big, physical group that loves to stand in front of their goaltender and block shots.  Keep an eye on any adjustments Claude Julien might make with his defensive pairings throughout the series to try and neutralize the Lightning.  The Lightning's defensive unit will take a hit depending on how long they expect Pavel Kubina to be out. The Lightning defense also was key in shutting down the Capitals power play. Expect lots of hitting from each team on the blue line.

Advantage: Boston Bruins

Goaltending
They play thus far by Roloson and Thomas speaks for itself here. Roloson posts marginally better statistics with a 2.01 Goals Against Average and .941 Save Percentage compared to Thomas' numbers at 2.03/.937 respectively. They are the best in the playoffs so far in keeping the puck out of the net and I don't expect a change in this series.  Each goaltender realizes the importance that one mistake can make in a series which is why every minute of every period is so crucial in the Conference Finals. 

Advantage: Push

I think this series will maintain the excellent play that we've seen in the playoffs this year. Hopefully, that includes a few OT games and maybe another Game 7 in what would be a rocking TD Garden crowd anxious for one of its teams to beat a team with Florida zip code. I think that the 'X-Factor' in this series is Dwayne Roloson because he doesn't have quite the defense that Tim Thomas camps behind. Sometimes the pressue can get to a goalie, but with a veteran like Roloson he should be up to the task.

Tampa Bay Lightning win 4-2