While the online sports betting community has voiced their displeasure with the lengthy drought between series’ in the Eastern conference playoffs, the Boston Bruins should be more than happy with the time that they have had off before their conference final matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With game one set for this Saturday the Bruins will have more than a week off to rest and regroup for another series, and with a key injury to one of their top centers the more time to recover the better off that they are. Boston made it to one of the top spots in the Eastern conference without center Marc Savard available due to concussion, but another head injury could cost them another top center in Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron took a shot in the decisive game four of their second round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, and has not been on the ice since. Head coach Claude Julien has said that there is no update on his condition but that it is likely he could be back, and Bruins’ fans know how important his presence in the NHL lineup will be to how they perform.
Boston is already thin up front without Savard, and the man that is likely to fill in for Bergeron hasn’t seen a single game this postseason with rookie Tyler Seguin watching from the stands. The top line of Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, and David Krejci has proven their merit in series wins over the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia, but the team has also relied heavily on the play of Bergeron on the second line. The Bruins’ powerplay has really struggled throughout the playoffs, although they did score in each of their final two wins against the Flyers, and will need Bergeron to excel with the man advantage. Bergeron is also a key member of a penalty kill that already struggled against Montreal and through the first two pay per head games against Philadelphia, but was perfect in the final two wins.
The Bruins will be favored to beat the Lightning regardless of whether or not Bergeron is in, but getting the job done will be an entirely different thing without one of their top playoff performers. Tampa Bay netminder Dwayne Roloson has looked strong in posting seven consecutive wins, but if Boston can get enough traffic to the net they should be able to rattle him a bit. The difference without Bergeron isn’t just about special teams and offense, as he is also a strong player at his own end that can serve as a checker against the other team’s top line. Seguin won’t be held to the same expectations meaning that Julien will have to do some line juggling, and that could effect the chemistry that has helped Boston so much this postseason. The Bruins will look to prove that they are the city’s best hope this spring ahead of the MLB betting Red Sox, and Bergeron will be one of the keys to getting the job done.
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