Plenty of sleep for Seguin before he slips into Bruins’ lineup

Seguin/By S. Bradley

BOSTON — It might be hard to believe, but rookie Tyler Seguin said this morning he slept fine last night.

And he doesn’t expect his game-day nap to be affected by his excitement either.

However, there’s definitely a giant burst of energy ready to explode out of the rookie as he gets ready to skate in his first Stanley Cup playoff game tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final at the TD Garden against Tampa Bay.

“I guess a little bit. I think I’m used to it,” said Seguin today after the Bruins’ morning skate about having to control his emotions. “I’ve never been to a conference finals, but I’ve been in big games before. Obviously not at this level, but I’ve been here before and I’ve just got to stay focused, stay confident and not worry about making mistakes. And hopefully things will work out.”

Patrice Bergeron’s absence with a concussion has opened the way for Seguin, who was a healthy scratch for the Bruins’ first 11 postseason games, to get a shot at playoff hockey at the game’s highest level. As far as outward appearances go, Seguin seemed to be taking things in stride this morning. He explained how he’s a pretty laid-back guy, and there’s no way to disagree with that based on how the 19-year-old looked or spoke in the dressing room.

“I’ve been saying it all week that I’m pretty excited to get started,” he said. “And now the day’s finally here, I’m just focusing on what I’ve got to do to prepare to get ready for tonight.”