NO NEED TO SHAVE TONIGHT, BOYS!! BRUINS WIN, 1-0!!!

Stanley Cup Finals, here we come. The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning played one of the best games of hockey I have seen in my entire life, battling the entire game until Nathan Horton netted his third game-winning goal of the Playoffs with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd period, slamming the door closed on Tampa Bay's hopes.

This game saw some big hits, unbelievable goaltending, and Steve Stamkos getting his nose beat in by a Johnny Boychuk slapshot...only to come back 15 mintues later.

The series ended at 21 goals apiece in the 7 games for both Boston and Tampa Bay. The Eastern Conference Finals may have been some of the best hockey in the NHL this season.

Tim Thomas had 24 saves in net, posting another clean sheet, his second of the series, but the even more impressive stat was 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson making a baffling 37 saves. For 60 minutes of hockey, zero penalties were committed, much to the delight of Boston for many reasons.

Horton's goal was assisted by Andrew Ference and David Krejci. Both teams played 110% the entire game, with the Bruins kicking it up to about 170% with about 10 minutes remaining in the tilt.

Next stop: Vancouver, Wednesday night. Tough task ahead with the Canucks. They've had a lot of time off, but are still the best hockey team in the NHL as far as the record is concerned. If you thought this hockey was good, wait til the Stanley Cup Finals. Damn...

LET'S GO B'S!!!

All Bolts, No Nuts

Don't think you can come into Boston for Game 7 and beat the B's. It happened 2 years ago when Carolina did it in overtime, and it happened last year when Philadelphia won, but no one really remembers what happened in that series, I think something to do with a referee scandal, or something? No one is quite sure.

We've already beat Montreal in 7, and we swept Philly. Yeah, Tampa Bay's fast. The Bruins still put up 4 goals on Dwayne Roloson, including a hat-trick from David Krejci.

Tomorrow night--8pm--TD Garden--Lightning vs Bruins. Keep that Chara-on-Lecavalier match-up, work out this practice running the penalty kill formations, and play some physical hockey. The Bruins are the hardest hitting team in the NHL, and still have yet to truly show it. Either way, this is going to be an absolutely amazing, ridiculously fast hockey game.

Let's Go B's.

Game 6 Tonight -- B's vs Bolts

Get ready for some great hockey. The Vancouver Canucks clinched the Western Conference Championship in a double-overtime thriller, and are awaiting an opponent.

As the great Kevin Millar said before Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS when the Red Sox trailed the Yankees 0-3, "Don't let us win one." Boom, Sox go on to be World Champions.

The Bruins are hungry, and pissed off after the Lightning players threw a hissy fit right after the final horn in Game 5.

Let's Go B's.

One Win Away From the Stanley Cup Finals, B's Take Game 5, 3-1

One minute and nine seconds into the tilt, the Tampa Bay Lightning lit the lamp. Simon Gagne was fed on a one-timer by Steve Stamkos that he slipped by Boston goalie Tim Thomas and through the legs of defender Johnny Boychuk.

The Bruins tied it up 7 shots later--which took them almost 25 minutes of hockey--with an absolute laser off the stick of Nathan Horton. The B's only managed 19 shots on the entire night, but scored 3 times to take Game 5, 3-1.

Brad Marchand took a pass from Patrice Bergeron that skimmed just in front of Mike Smith, and tossed it top shelf to take the lead, 2-1. With under a minute to go, Rich Peverley broke out down the ice to lock the game up with an empty-net goal.

Tim Thomas, brilliant again with 33 saves on the night, made one of the best saves of the entire season. The puck was launched off of Steve Downie's stick with about 11 minutes to go in the third period, but just in the nick of time, Thomas reached out with his stick as the puck dinged off of the left pipe and slapped it out of the fray.

The Bruins took Game 5 in front of 17,500 at the TD Garden, and are one win away from their first Stanley Cup finals berth since 1990. The Vancouver Canucks are also a win away from the Finals, and will host the San Jose Sharks tonight for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals will be from the St. Pete Times Forum Wednesday night.

Go B's.

Bruins Played 20 Minutes of Hockey

Last night’s Dunkin Donuts ‘Play for the Boston Bruins’ sweepstakes was ill-timed, as the bruins dropped Game 4 to even the series...wait, what? Oh, those were the real Bruins who played? Even the 2nd and 3rd periods?

Ah, well, one way or the other, the Lightning evened the Eastern Conference Finals at 2 games apiece by winning Game Four 5-3, with the next game coming Monday night in Boston.

Bergeron chalked up two goals, both on turnovers from the Lightning, with Ryder adding the other goal. The Lightning stormed back to score three in the second period, two of which came within two minutes of each other, both scored by Teddy Purcell. The Bolts would tack on one more, and then an empty net goal with under a minute to go, sealing the victory.

Like I said in the last post, this series is definitely going 7 games. It has to, these teams are just too damn good.

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