Do the Bolts have what it takes?
When the Bolts emerged from the regular season as sixth seeds going into the playoffs, not many people saw them getting past the Pens (me included). After being 3-1 down to Crosby-less Pittsburgh, they showed great resilience and passion to come back and take the series 4-3. Not only did the Bolts beat the Pens, but also brushed aside the small obstacle of the Washington Capitals, 4-0. The Eastern Conference Finals’ series with the Bruins so far has been fast, frantic and physical and a great spectacle to watch. On Friday night, the Bolts will travel to TD Garden for game 7, but do they have what it takes to see off the team from Massachusetts?
Home advantage will be massive for the Bruins. Every seat will be taken with fans gracing the famous black and yellow colours and shouting loudly for their team, creating a cracking atmosphere and a must watch game! However, the crowd could be a disadvantage to the Bruins as if Tampa score early (which they have done lots this series), tension will rise and could result in fans getting on the backs of the players, forcing mistakes.
A key factor for me, even bigger than the crowd, is special teams. The Bolts have been the kings of the powerplay and penalty kill in the playoffs and you only have to look as far as the stats to realise this. Tampa have a powerplay success percentage of 25.4 through the last 2 rounds, which is second only to the Canucks. And a huge penalty kill percentage of 92.3. Five on five hockey in this series has definitely seen Boston as the better team, however on special teams the Bolts have looked in a different class, meaning this is a crucial aspect of the game.
Goaltenders will be key on Friday night with Roloson vs Thomas. Two great goalies but only one can come out on top. Tim ‘the tank’ Thomas racked up a massive .938 save pct over the regular season, and recorded 9 shutouts. 6ft 1″ Canadian Dwayne Roloson on the other hand notched a .914 save pct and recorded 4 shutouts. Thomas has been a bit sketchy over the course of the playoffs and if he has a bad game on Friday night the game could play right in to Tampa’s hands. In contrast Roloson had a big first two series against the Pens and Caps respectively, and has played himself in to contention for man of the playoffs. He has however, severely struggled against the Bruins.
It will be a physical and fiery encounter, and definitely worth a watch (Friday 27 May at 8pm ET).
