2011 NHL Playoffs: 3 Reasons why Boston Bruins will advance into the Stanley Cup Finals
Boston Bruins may have performed below par against Tampa Bay Lightning throughout the series, but they possess the ability of taking them down and advancing into the 2011 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Finals with a win in Game 7 on Friday, May 27th.
The Eastern Conference Finals may not have played out as expected by Boston Bruins’ top management, but it is here now and has a chance to make it to the cup finals after its attempt to do so since the past 21 years.
Tampa Bay, on the other hand, is also fully prepared to take down the third seeded Eastern Conference team to reach out for their second cup in seven years, winning their first in 2004 against Calgary Flames, also in a seven-game series.
It is now finally time for Bruins to take control and get back in the Stanley Cup Finals since their most recent attempt in 1990. Being one of the original six teams, Boston deserves a cup as it’s been nearly 40 years since their last championship (1972).
Having a home-ice advantage is always positive for a team, especially in a Game 7 situation.
"We worked all year to have home ice, and now we have to take advantage of it", Boston’s centre player, Patrice Bergeron, said. "We can't worry about what happened in the first six games".
It is well known fact that Bruins is mainly counting on their superstar goalie, Tim Thomas, to lead them to victory, but that will not be the only factor that can ensure a win.
Three reasons why the Boston Bruins will dominate and win Game 7 against a rowdy Tampa Bay Lightning are just different points of view an NHL fan would have, being part of such an exciting series. They are:
Tim Thomas
Thomas was not the leading goalie in NHL’s regular season. He played 57 games in the regular season and won 37 of them while maintaining at .938 save percentage and only conceding 112 goals on 1811 shot attempts.
Tampa Bay’s goalie, Dwayne Roloson, on the other hand, remained behind playing 54 games and winning only 24 while having a .914 save percentage and allowing 54 goals on 967 attempts.
During the playoffs, both have been separate in ranking by a hair’s length, but Thomas still leads.
He might not be as experienced as the 41-year-old Roloson, but certainly has the abilities under his belt to disappoint Lightning in Game 7.
“Timmy has been really good at bouncing back and playing solid for us”, Bruins’ coach, Claude Julien, said about Thomas. “Our team has been really resilient that way”.
Defence and Physical Play
There is no doubt about Boston being the league’s toughest and most brutal team when it comes to getting physical and downright dirty. They know how to hit and be smart at it at the same time.
Players like Zdeno Chara can take down a man and not regret it later which just might bring them closer to victory.
Tampa Bay is missing Sean Bergenheim and their defenseman, Pavel Kubina, and without these two, Bruins should be able to easily penetrate Lightning’s defence and score against Roloson.
Peer Pressure
There are always two kinds of pressure, good and bad.
In Boston’s case, the pressure it has been getting from players, fans and the upper management is good for a number of reasons.
Bruins is committed at winning the Stanley Cup this time and has the dedication to make it possible, unlike Tampa Bay which is part of the series due to sheer coincidence.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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