The Eastern Conference Finals

For the first time in nineteen years, the Bruins advanced to hockey’s Final Four. Their opponent was the Tampa Bay Lightning, an offensive juggernaut who most recently swept the Washington Capitals. The B’s would be without Patrice Bergeron, who suffered a “mild” concussion in the third period of Game 4 against Philadelphia last week. Bergeron has already suffered two concussions in the past and has to be watched very carefully moving forward. He is expected to miss at least the first two games. The Lightning feature power forwards Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lacavalier, Martin St. Louis and Ryan Malone. On defense, they are not as talented as the B’s and one of their better defensemen, Pavel Kubina, is also out with a concussion. In goal, 41-year old Dwayne Roloson has had a fantastic playoff run so far and is every bit Tim Thomas’ equal in the tournament. On paper, this is quite a challenge for the Bruins.

Game 1 ECF v. Tampa Bay Lightning (5/14/11):

Finally, after an eight-day layoff it was time to get down to business. The Garden crowd was LOUD and ready for the B’s to come out strong. The B’s put a couple of shots on Roloson in the first minute. Four minutes in, Boychuk fired a shot from the blue line that Roloson kicked out. Seven minutes in, Lecavalier’s backhanded attempt was knocked away by Thomas. Sean Bergenheim put the Lightning ahead at 11:15 when he chipped in a shot from directly out in front. 19 seconds later, Brett Clark put TB ahead, 2-0 when Thomas gave up a bad goal as Clark moved in from the neutral zone without opposition (what a revoltin’ development). The B’s had the better of the early going, but slowly momentum turned in the Lightning’s favor. Teddy Purcell made it 3-0 at 12:40 as Kaberle turned over the puck and Purcell tucked in a backhander. In those three goals, the B’s defense was nowhere to be found. Tyler Seguin (playing in his first playoff game) put the B’s on the board at 15:59 as he scored from the slot on a pass from Ryder. After the goal, the B’s picked up their play in the Lightning end as Roloson was peppered with a series of shots. Other than that minute-and-a-half defensive lapse (!), the B’s didn’t play all that badly in the first, but the Lightning have a high-powered offense that burned the B’s when the defense broke down.

Paille went off for tripping at 1:29 as the Lightning came out and pushed hard in the B’s zone to start the second. The Lightning are 12/45 so far on the power play during the playoffs. Gagne and Lecavalier each put testing shots on Thomas to open the power play. Downie then went off for interference at 3:29 after he knocked down Seidenberg. Per usual, the B’s power play failed to put any shots on goal. The B’s had two good chances after the power play expired as Ryder fired a shot from the high slot that Roloson had trouble locating and Recchi nearly stuffed in the rebound. Stamkos came back with a nasty shot that Thomas knocked away. Brewer went off for tripping at 8:09 and the powerless power play went back to work. Other than a shot by Chara halfway through, the power play fizzled. Chris Kelly then went off for tripping at 11:55 and the B’s PK unit did a good job of shutting things down. Downie then was robbed by Thomas with a great glove save. Adam Hall was sent off for tripping at 14:58 (maybe the third time’s a charm). No, other than a shot by Kaberle, the B’s didn’t do a whole lot.

In the first minute of the third, Shawn Thornton backhanded a shot that Roloson knocked away. Two minutes in, Seidenberg fired a wrist shot that Roloson covered. Thomas then robbed Gagne point blank on a backhanded attempt. Lecavalier went off for slashing at 5:53 but other than one shot by Chara, the power play spun its wheels. Midway through the period, Seguin put a tricky shot on Roloson. Boychuk was then sent off for roughing after nailing Gagne with a heavy check. Marc-Andre Bergeron scored at 13:37 on a slap shot from the left point that hit the top of Thomas’ stick and went in and Tampa went up 4-1. A few knuckleheads threw garbage on the ice and a lot of fans made their way to the exits. Thomas was pulled with nearly three minutes left and Gagne scored an empty netter from center ice to put a punctuation mark on the Lightning’s effort tonight. Boychuk came back to fire a wrist shot that broke through Roloson to make it 5-2, but the goal was way too little and way too late. Lucic and Horton were sent off for roughing with 37 seconds left. Funny, it was the only time their names were mentioned all night as they, along with Krejci, were invisible all night.

It was all doom and gloom in the media and on the talk shows following the loss. Kaberle was called out especially for disapproval following his turnover that led to one of the goals. Perhaps this loss wasn’t the worst thing as it will give the team a chance to re-focus and re-group.

Game 2 ECF v. Tampa Bay (5/17/11):

The B’s looked to rebound from Game 1’s loss and come out with a sharper, more aggressive performance in this game. Patrice Bergeron was still unavailable for this game but that should be no excuse. The B’s were outcoached and outplayed in Game 1 and it hopefully served as a wake-up call for the rest of the series.

Adam Hall scored 13 seconds in as Boychuk turned over the puck in the neutral zone and Hall backhanded in one from a sharp angle (oh, brother). Kelly came back with a hard shot that Roloson saved. Two minutes in, Ference fired a wrist shot from the high slot that Roloson gloved. Hedman and Ference then went off at 2:31 for jousting in front of the TB goal. Lecavalier had a shot from in close that Thomas covered. After the penalties expired, the B’s pressed the play hard in the Lightning zone, so much so that the Lightning coach used the team’s timeout to regroup. Ryan Malone was sent off for elbowing Seidenberg at 6:32. The B’s put three shots on Roloson that he had no difficulty turning aside. Midway through the period, Recchi put a testing shot that Roloson turned aside. On the play, Malone was sent off again for interference at 11:20. Hall then went off for roughing at 11:59. Recchi had a point blank shot that Roloson stopped. Boychuk followed up with a blast from the point that Roloson saved. Just as the second power play expired, Seidenberg fired a shot from the right point that Horton tipped in and the B’s tied the score at 13:58. Horton went off at 17:16 for retaliating against Dominic Moore. Purcell then came down the slot and put a shot on Thomas that nearly broke through his pads. Chara and Downie went off for roughing at 19:04. St. Louis scored with 9 seconds left in the period as he tipped in a shot from Stamkos’ backhanded pass. Despite being down by a goal, the B’s played very well in that period. They just have to keep skating and working hard.

As the matching minors expired to open the second, St. Louis broke in alone and put a testing shot on Thomas. Seguin then scored at 48 seconds on a backhander as he split the defense with a burst of speed and beat Roloson. Krejci put the B’s ahead at 2:24 on a backhanded tip in of Seidenberg’s shot. After the goal, the B’s maintained the momentum as they had several chances in the Lightning zone. Malone then broke in alone and fired a backhander that Thomas scrambled to save. On the ensuing play, Seguin scored at 6:30 on a 2-on-1 break with Horton and Seguin went top shelf, short side to beat Roloson. Recchi then went off for cross-checking at 7:29 and Lecavalier scored right away on a wrist shot at 7:48 from the left circle. Chara then went off for tripping Stamkos at 10:18. What a bad call! The B’s PK unit did a good job of keeping the puck away from Thomas. The B’s then had a momentary lapse on defense that led to a couple of shots. Lecavalier then went off for hooking Marchand at 15:04 and Ryder scored at 16:16 on a backhanded rebound of Seguin’s shot to make it 5-3, B’s. Gagne came back with a backhanded attempt that missed the net. Ryder scored again with 19 seconds left on a rebound of Kelly’s shot on a pass from Seguin.

Mike Smith replaced Roloson in Tampa Bay’s goal to open the third. Moore fired a quick shot that Thomas knocked aside and then promptly went to the penalty box for interference at 32 seconds. Horton and Seidenberg put shots on goal that Smith turned away. Stamkos scored at 3:47 on a wrist shot that went just under the crossbar on Thomas’ stick side, as the B’s defense let down on the play. Eight minutes in, Stomkos put a backhanded shot on goal that Thomas kicked out. Midway through the period, Thomas robbed Lecavalier on a point blank chance. Horton then went off for elbowing at 10:07. The B’s allowed only one long-distance shot on the power play. Bergenheim missed a wide open net but Moore was able to knock in the puck. On the play, Thomas’ mask was knocked off by McQuaid and the whistle should’ve automatically stopped play. The referees reviewed the play and the goal call stood at 13:15. The B’s were not skating over the past few minutes but Malone was sent off for goaltender interference at 13:36. Other than one shot by Kaberle, the power play did nothing. Late in the period, Downie and Bergeron put shots on goal that Thomas smothered. Smith was pulled with 30 seconds left and St. Louis put a shot on that Thomas hugged at the post. The B’s ended up hanging on (for dear life) to tie up the series.

Game 3 ECF at Tampa Bay (5/19/11):

Two nights later, the series shifted to the St. Pete Times Forum for game three of the series. The big news prior to the game was the return of Patrice Bergeron to the lineup. The was still quite a buzz over Tyler Seguin and whether he could continue his amazing run of play (3G, 3A). Some noted pundits called out the coach for not having inserted Seguin in the lineup earlier in the playoffs, claiming that the team’s “success” in this series is purely the accident of Bergeron having been injured. First of all, the term “success” may be a bit premature as they’ve only won one game so far. Second of all, Seguin didn’t exactly set the world on fire during the regular season. He played sparingly, very much like the way Joe Thornton played in his rookie year. And for a team to be successful over a long playoff run a number of guys have to step up their games as key contributions need to come from several players, not just one or two. The last time that the B’s were serious Cup contenders, it was Bourque, Neely and a couple of other guys leading the way. They lost in those series precisely because there was little, if any, offensive depth beyond Bourque and the first line. While there are no Bourque’s or Neely’s on this Bruins’ team, the depth is much more spread out. Game 3 ought to be a terrific matchup. The B’s have to skate, hit and hustle all night long to have a chance. The Lightning have a fabulous core of players up front (Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier, Gagne, et al) and if they’re allowed to skate freely they will burn Thomas. We shall see…

It was Thomas v. Roloson, Round 3. Krejci put the B’s ahead at 1:09 on a pass from Lucic as Krejci was wide open in front of the net and backhanded in the puck. Hedman and Malone followed with shots that Thomas covered. Four minutes in, Stamkos put a tricky shot on Thomas that was knocked away. Two minutes later, Lecavalier and Purcell put shots on goal that Thomas kicked away with St. Louis following up with a rebound that Thomas smothered. Even though it was early, the Lightning seized the momentum following the goal. Midway through the period, Campbell put a shot on Roloson that had the goalie scrambling to save. Campbell and Gagne went off for matching roughing calls at 10:21. As the period moved to the later stages, the B’s grinder lines were able to effectively shut down the Lightning’s power attack. Marc-Andre Bergeron then elbowed Krejci in the chin and was sent off at 17:29. Chara had a couple of shots from the point but otherwise the Lightning PK unit kept the B’s in check.

On the opening shift of the second, Patrice Bergeron fired a shot from the top of the right circle that Roloson covered. Six minutes in, Ference fired a shot from the blue line that Roloson stopped. Marchand then went off for high-sticking and the B’s did a good job limiting the Lightning to only one long-distance shot by Brewer. Nine minutes in, Bergenheim put a slap shot on goal that Thomas knocked away. The Lightning were then caught with too many men on the ice at 9:41, but the power play didn’t last long as Bergeron went off for interference. After the B’s killed off the penalty, Peverley put back-to-back shots on Roloson, who made two great saves. Late in the period, Lecavalier put a nasty slap shot on net that Thomas covered. Brewer then went off for hooking at 16:55. Other than a shot by Marchand the power play struggled once again. The Lightning coach elected to take the team’s timeout with 47 seconds left in the period.

In the first minute of the third, Krejci put a shot on goal that Roloson turned away. Three minutes in, Bergenheim snapped a long-distance shot that Thomas knocked out of danger. Marchand then broke in alone and tried to stuff a backhander that Roloson knocked away. Seguin then made it 2-0 at 8:12 on a tip-in of Ference’s one-timer on a pass from Ryder. After the goal, the Lightning played with a sense of desperation (ya think?) as they began to press the play in the B’s zone. Chara then went off for hooking at 9:49 after clearing St. Louis, who immediately fired a point blank shot on Thomas. The PK unit did a very effective job, limiting the Lightning power play to three shots. Roloson was pulled with about two minutes left and the Lightning were able to get a couple of shots with the man advantage but the B’s did a great job of protecting the puck and took a 2-1 lead in the series.

Game 4 ECF at Tampa Bay (5/21/11):

After a dominant win in Game 3, the B’s came out strong and took a 3-0 lead in the first period only to allow the roof to cave in during the second period in which the Lightning came back to tie. Midway through the third period, Tampa Bay scored the game-winner and then tallied an empty net goal in the closing seconds to account for the 5-3 victory and tying the series two games apiece.

What went wrong? The B’s played well in the first period, as Bergeron put the B’s ahead at 11:47 on a wrist shot. Michael Ryder scored on the backhand at 16:34 and Bergeron came back to put the B’s ahead 3-0 at 17:58. In the second period, whether it was a matter of complacency or poor play, the B’s allowed Tampa Bay to seize the momentum and tie the score in short order. Purcell scored twice as the B’s defense suffered an awful lapse and they were beaten to the puck at every turn. There was one play in which Kaberle basically handed the puck over to an opponent and Purcell promptly deposited the puck behind Thomas. Why the coach did not call a timeout to get the team re-focused at that juncture is anyone’s guess. With an offense as high-powered as Tampa Bay’s the nature of a game can turn on a dime. In the third period, the Lightning had all the momentum and all the B’s could do was chase after the puck. They were unable to generate many offensive chances and the game was essentially over when Simon Gagne scored the game winner at 6:54. After that the Lightning went into shutdown mode and severely limited the B’s opportunities. It’s hard to figure why the B’s fell apart after picking up a 3-0 lead. If this team entertains any hope of making it to the Finals, they have to skate, hit and defend for 60 minutes. We shall see which Bruins’ team shows up at the Garden for Game 5…

Game 5 ECF v. Tampa Bay (5/23/11):

The teams returned to the Garden for the pivotal fifth game with the question as to which goaltender Guy Boucher would start. Roloson has played well in the playoffs though Boucher pulled him in games 2 and 4 in favor of Mike Smith, who has yet to allow a goal in his relief appearances. Meanwhile, the Bruins had more to think about than which goaltender would start for the Lightning. They needed to recognize the flaws in their game, focus and execute accordingly.

Mike Smith got the start in goal for the Lightning against Tim Thomas. The Lightning scored again right off the bat as Simon Gagne scored on a slap shot on a 2-on-1 break with Stamkos. Lecavalier went off for tripping at 5:13 and the 4/52 power play went to work. After the power play did nothing, Seguin went off for tripping Moore at 6:45. The Lightning didn’t do much with their initial power play, either. Midway through the period, the B’s play was pretty much stagnant as they only had two shots on goal. Bergenheim then put two quick shots on goal that Thomas covered. Brett Clark then put a wrist shot on Thomas that nearly went between his legs. Ference then went off for cross-checking Stamkos at 12:17. Even though most of the power play took place in the B’s zone, the Lightning were only able to put one shot on Thomas. Stamkos came back with two shots as the Lightning were out-hitting and out-skating the B’s at every turn. In the later stages of the period, Horton put a shot on Smith that was kicked away. It was the first shot on goal by the B’s in over 13 minutes. Horton then went off for interference at 19:10 when he wiped out Nate Thompson. In the moments leading up to the penalty, the B’s were finally beginning to show signs of life. They were fortunate to be down by only a goal after one as they were beaten in every phase of the game.

The Lightning started off the second period but were only able to muster one shot on Thomas. Downie then came back and put a very tricky shot on goal that Thomas was fortunate to cover. Horton went right back into the penalty box at 2:07 but the B’s did a good job of keeping the puck away from Thomas. Horton then tied the score at 4:24 with a wrist shot right off the faceoff that beat Smith to the blocker side. Downie and Purcell came back to put shots on goal that Thomas smothered. Thomas then made a tremendous pad save off of Clark’s shot. Malone and Marchand were both sent off at 6:42 in a scrum. Ohlund then went off for hooking Peverley at 7:05 setting up a 4-on-3 power play but the B’s couldn’t capitalize. Brewer then went off for hooking at 11:40 and Marchand had a chance from directly out in front but that was the only shot on the power play. Marchand put the B’s ahead at 15:56 as Chara dumped the puck into the zone. Bergeron grabbed the loose puck and passed across to Marchand, who flipped the puck home. Late in the period, Lundin put a shot on goal that Thomas picked through traffic. The B’s may have taken the lead, but were still struggling to make plays. They would need to play much better if they wanted to win.

Blair Jones hit the post with a shot early in the third period. Lecavalier came right back to fire a wrist shot that Thomas corralled. Through the first seven minutes, the B’s had yet to record a shot on goal. Kaberle then broke in and fired a shot that Smith knocked away. Thomas made a great stick save off of Downie’s shot. He reached back with his stick and turned Downie away at the far post. It was his best save of the night. Coming right back, Chara fired a wrist shot that Smith smartly covered. Downie then went off for boarding Boychuk at 10:54 and Boychuk was in considerable pain with his right leg. Kaberle and Horton put shots on goal that Smith turned aside. With 1:54 left, the B’s took a timeout to re-focus. After Smith was pulled with less than a minute to go, Peverley bagged an empty netter and the B’s were just one win away from the Big Dance. There was some pushing and shoving after the final whistle but the B’s found a way to win even though they didn’t play their best game.

Game 6 ECF at Tampa Bay (5/25/11):
On Tuesday night the teams returned to the St. Pete Times Forum for Game 6. In a bit of a surprise, Tampa Bay’s coach elected to go with Dwayne Roloson in goal over Mike Smith, who did not play all that badly in Game 5. Due to the fact that the B’s power play has been virtually non-existent in the Playoffs, the team decided to move Big Z from the point to a spot up front, where his size and strength may change the attack. TB’s Sean Bergenheim suffered a lower body injury in Game 5 and did not dress for this one. The Lightning scored almost off the opening faceoff as Teddy Purcell fired a wrist shot past Thomas at 36 seconds. The B’s slowly regained the momentum and tied the score at 7:09 as Lucic fired a wrist shot that rung off the crossbar and into the net. The Lightning incurred two penalties during the first period, but the newly configured power play performed just as inefficiently as the old. Late in the period, the B’s went ahead as Krejci scored at 16:30 from between the circles on a pass from Dan Paille. The B’s played more consistently during that period than in Game 5.

Nathan Horton put a nasty shot on Roloson in the opening minute of the second. Hedman went off for high sticking Seguin at 1:52 but the power play was only able to get one shot on goal. Downie came back to put a very tricky shot on which Thomas made his best stop of the night. Seidenberg went off for cross-checking Hall at 7:39 and St. Louis scored at 7:55 on a rebound of Stamkos’ shot. It was the Lightning’s first power play goal in their last 10 tries. Brewer was then sent off at 8:03 for interfering with Lucic. Ryder and Horton put shots on Roloson from the perimeter, and that was all the power play could accomplish. Peverley then went off for interference at 11:52 and Purcell made it 3-2 TB at 13:35 with a wrist shot from the right corner on a pass from Downie. Thomas got a piece of the shot with his right arm but the puck squirted through. So, the B’s lack of efficiency on the power play came back to haunt them. The B’s have done well 5-on-5 but the special teams have let them down. Stamkos and Jones followed with two quick shots that Thomas turned aside. Downie then nearly popped in a loose puck but Seidenberg stepped in to clear the puck away. After a skirmish in front of the net, Ference went off for cross-checking Stamkos at 19:05. In the closing seconds, Stamkos put a shot on goal that Thomas turned away. The shortcomings of the B’s special teams really came to the fore in that period.

The B’s still had over a minute of Ference’s penalty to kill off to open the third. But they couldn’t do as Stamkos scored at 34 seconds from the left wing circle on a pass from Brewer. Downie and St. Louis followed up with shots that Thomas turned away. Kaberle went off for interference at 6:58. To that point, the B’s had zero shots on goal. St. Louis then came up with a shot that Thomas smothered. Lecavalier then went off for hooking at 8:12, giving the B’s a brief power play and, this time, they scored. Krejci made it 4-3 at 9:46 on a tip-in of a nice pass from Horton from between the circles. But St. Louis came right back 29 seconds later to put the Lightning ahead 5-3 on a 2-on-1 with Downie. Where was the defense? Krejci made it 5-4 at 13:28 when he banged in a loose puck off of Roloson’s right leg. Seidenberg and Lucic put shots on Roloson that was turned aside as the B’s pressed the action in the Lightning’s zone. Thomas was pulled with about a minute remaining and the B’s continued to press hard but other than one long-distance shot by Seidenberg, the B’s couldn’t get the job done. So, both teams return to Boston on Friday night for all the marbles.

…the B’s flew home on Thursday and when they arrived at the airport they were bombarded by the media asking dumb and pointless questions. Everyone understands what’s at stake here: a trip to the Cup Finals or setting tee times for next week. There’s not much point in expecting the power play to suddenly perform miracles when they’ve been at 8% efficiency during the playoffs. It is what it is. Game 6 was a big disappointment because the PK unit (one of the team’s strengths) failed at the worst possible time. This is as close to the Cup as the B’s have been in 21 years.

Game 7 ECF v. Tampa Bay (5/27/11):

It’s really nice that the Bruins have captivated the public’s attention in late May. Everybody’s talkin’ hockey and there promises to be record ratings on cable tonight, that is except for those (of us) who do not get the “Versus” network on the dish. It’s not the end of the world, but it is Game 7. Everything that can be said has been said. The media has replayed the Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) speech from “Miracle” to death. For the B’s, it’s way past “big speech” time. As the coach said yesterday, it is an exciting time as the team does not wish to entertain any thoughts of undue pressure. It was time to drop the puck yesterday, if you ask any die-hard Bruins’ fan. The endless hours of waiting for the game to start simply redoubled the knots in everyone’s stomachs.

Both teams finished with 103 points in the regular season. Both teams played a seven-game series in the quarterfinals and swept the semis. It is the 100th game of the season for both teams. One team will go home while one has a date in Vancouver next Wednesday night.

Sean Bergenheim remained out of the Lightning lineup and Roloson got the start in goal against Tim Thomas. The Garden crowd was loud and passionate as the cheered the B’s from the moment they stepped on the ice for warm-ups. Ference put a shot on Roloson from between the circles a minute or so in. Seidenberg then drilled St. Louis with a heavy check as the B’s brought the physical game to bear. Peverley came back with a wrist shot that Roloson held onto. It was a intense pace by both teams in the first four minutes. Krejci then fired a slap shot on Roloson from the neutral zone that the goalie held onto. Seidenberg then put a shot on goal and Bergeron nearly tipped in the rebound. St. Louis and Brewer came back with shots that Thomas knocked aside. There’s no way these teams can maintain this pace. Midway through the period, Kaberle put a shot on goal that Roloson stopped. Horton then came back to fire a wrist shot on which Roloson made a nice blocker save. Jones then came back for TB and had a wraparound chance and Thomas held the post on Malone’s rebound. Seguin came back to put a wrist shot on goal that Roloson smothered. Lucic broke in alone on a feed from Peverley but Roloson knocked the puck away. Marchand had a wrist shot on a feed from Recchi but Roloson made a good stick save. The B’s ended up putting 15 shots on goal during the first period but Roloson was really sharp.

A minute in, Ference let one fly from the right circle that Roloson covered. Horton then nearly tipped in a shot from Chara. Five minutes in, the Lightning had yet to register a shot on goal. Stamkos got hit in the face on a deflection of a shot by St. Louis and had to leave the ice immediately. Marchand had a quick wrist shot on a pass from Bergeron that Roloson knocked aside. Ryder’s snap shot then whistled over the crossbar. Thomas then made a great stop off of Gagne’s point blank attempt. It was Thomas’ best save of the night so far. Stamkos returned to the ice sporting a full cage. Midway through the period Krejci put one on Roloson from the left circle that was smothered. Purcell came back to put a shot on Thomas that was kicked aside. Late in the period, the B’s peppered Roloson with three shots in rapid succession but Roloson was well-positioned to make the stops. Horton and Ference then came back with shots on goal that were turned aside. Forty minutes in and yet a goal had been scored.

Early in the third period, Krejci had a shot from directly out front and Horton’s rebound went right across the crease. Marchand and Peverley then put shots on Roloson that were turned away. Five minutes in, Gagne had a point blank chance that Thomas turned away. A minute later, Hedman fired a long distance shot that Thomas gloved. Midway through the period, Lucic and Krejci put shots on goal that Roloson turned away. GOAL!!! Horton scored at 12:27 on a pass from Krejci as Horton crashed the net and tipped in a perfect pass and the B’s took a 1-0 lead! Ryder and Marchand then broke in on a 2-on-1 but Roloson made a great pad save. Marchand and Boychuk put shots on Roloson that were turned aside. Roloson was pulled with less than a minute to go but the Lightning couldn’t do a darned thing with the puck, and the Boston Bruins are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 21 years. Kudos to the referees and linesmen for letting the boys play out there. There were no penalties called. They rolled out the red carpet for the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy, a loser’s trophy that tradition dictates that no team member touches. The B’s now have bigger fish to fry.

Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Lightning for playing a fantastic series. They are well coached, managed and poised to do great things moving forward.

On this night, the Bruins played their game to perfection. They deserved to win the series.