Tyler Seguin's Time to Shine is Now for Bruins

(Photo Courtesy of Boston.com)

The Bruins head into tonight’s game tied 1-1 with the Lightning, courtesy of Tyler Seguin’s emergence into the playoffs.

Tuesday’s win marked the first Conference Finals victory for the B’s since 1991, and removed the proverbial monkey from their backs in the process.

But if you look at any legitimate Stanley Cup champion, they generally have a clear cut star. Aside from Tim Thomas, or maybe even Zdeno Chara, this team simply doesn’t have it.

The remaining teams out west have the stars: the Canucks have the Sedin twins, the sharks have Joe Thornton(you’re welcome San Jose), Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley. Tampa Bay has an equally star-studded roster, with players like Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier delivering on a nightly basis.

The Bruins, however, find themselves in a different position, relying on relatively obscure players, sorry Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, and scrappy players such as Chris Kelly and Brad Marchand. And while there’s no denying Bergeron and Krejci’s skills, they just don’t have that superstar swagger. Not yet anyway.

The 1991 squad had Ray Borque, a bona-fide all star, as well as Cam Neely, a Bruins legend in his own right. But Ray Borque isn’t walking through that door. Cam Neely isn’t going to lace them up tonight either.

This year’s squad needs a playoff superstar, badly. Seguin’s performance could be a sign that he is that star. And Bruins fans hope he is, after the team invested the No. 2 overall pick in him.

Maybe Seguin’s career will take off from this point forward. With the loss of Marc Savard, we can only pray it will.

The puck drops at 8:00 tonight in St. Pete, and Seguin will be in the lineup, along with Bergeron. Expect Shawn Thornton to sit out this one to make room for the recently healthy Bergey.

-Q Man