Examining five 'Burning Questions' ahead of the Boston Bruins-Tampa Bay Lightning series.
After disposing of the top two Eastern Conference seeds -- both in second round sweeps - the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning will do battle for a spot in the Stanley Cup final. To set up the matchup, sportsnet.ca's Mike Brophy looks at five 'Burning Questions' before putting it on the line with his prediction.
Q: Can the Bruins survive the loss of centre Patrice Bergeron?
A: The thing about Bergeron is, he's not only the Bruins' leading scorer in the post-season, he's also the team's best two-way player. Some wondered why Steve Yzerman elected to choose him for the Canadian men's Olympic hockey team, but he proved his mettle in that event; justifying his inclusion with spirited play at both ends of the ice.
What makes the loss of Bergeron, for who knows how long, tough to swallow is the fact the Bruins are also without fellow centre Marc Savard, also out with a career-threatening concussion. Bergeron had two goals and 12 points in the first two rounds and is also the team's best faceoff man, winning 163 of 254 draws (64.2 per cent). He was also the Bruins' hits leader through two rounds with 30.
Even if Bergeron is able to return to the ice, you have to wonder how effective he can be? Without him, the likes of David Krejci, Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic have to step it up, particularly on offence.
Q: Who wins the battle of the senior citizen goalies between Boston's Tim Thomas and Tampa Bay's Dwayne Roloson?
A: Huh! It might be easier to predict the winning numbers for the next Lotto Max draw. This is one of the best matchups in recent years in terms of goaltenders going head-to-head.
Thomas, 37, has been the NHL's most dominant goaltender start to finish this year. He led the league in goals-against average (2.00) and save percentage (.938) in the regular season, having won back the crease from Tuukka Rask who had taken over as Bosonto's No. 1 stopper a year ago.
Roloson, 41, is thriving in what could be his last chance at adding his name to the Stanley Cup. After being rescued from Long Island, Roloson has made the best of his opportunity to play for a contender and has been the league's best goalie in the post-season. He leads in GAA (2.01) and SP (.941). Thomas is the odds-on favorite to win the Vezina Trophy this season, but based on his team's high level of play and his individual heroics, Roloson gets the nod to advance to the final.
Q: Can Vinny Lecavalier continue to work his magic?
A: Not only can he -- he can still play better. This has been a year of revival for the 31-year-old centre who was burdened by injuries and trade rumors the past few seasons. It was a slow process during the year, but Lecavalier is back to being a dominant force at both ends of the rink. His numbers in the regular season -- 25 goals and 54 points in 65 games -- were not overwhelming, but he has been a force in the playoffs with five goals (three game-winners!) and 12 points in 11 games. Lecavalier seems to be thriving and, along with Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, will be tough for the Bruins to handle.
Q: Can the Bruins' special teams compete with the Lightning's power play and penalty kill?
A: Based on what we have seen in the playoffs thus far, the Bruins will be well-advised to stay clear of the penalty box and when they are on the power play, they might just want to get more pucks to the net. Boston's special teams have been anything but special in the playoffs. The power play has been a joke operating at a 5.4 per cent success rate (2-for-37) and with Bergeron out, it's hard to imagine it getting significantly better.
Tomas Kaberle has not provided the much-needed boost the Bruins expected from him when they gave up a first-round draft pick and prospect Joe Colborne to get him from Toronto. The Bruins' penalty kill currently ranks 10th at 80.5 per cent. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has been solid on both fronts and ranks second in PK (94.4 per cent) and third in PP (26.7 per cent).
Q: Given Tampa Bay's apparent advantage on offence, will the Lightning open things up a bit to take advantage of Boston's injury situation?
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Poll
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Who do you think will win the Boston-Tampa Bay series?
A: Not a chance! Tampa has lived and died with its 1-3-1 defensive scheme and there's no way coach Guy Boucher will alter his strategy at this stage of the game. That doesn't mean the Lightning will sit back and play a passive game when it is in control of the puck, but Boucher does not like his players to take uncalculated risks.
If the Lightning is to advance to the Stanley Cup final, it will be mostly on the strength of its team defence.
Tampa Bay wins in 6
