Tampa Bay’s Boucher bracing for big-time Bruins bounce back
Bergeron/By S. Bradley
BOSTON — Not only does Tampa Bay head coach Guy Boucher expect the Bruins to come back better for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, he’s also predicting an earlier-than-scheduled return for one of Boston’s missing star players.
After his Lightning disposed of the Bruins, 5-2, tonight at the TD Garden, Boucher had this to say:
“We knew they were going to come out charging, that was no secret for anybody. We knew they were going to be elevated by their crowd. We had a game plan for it. They are a really good team, they came out hard.
“They are going to come out harder the next game. I’m expecting [Patrice] Bergeron to be in the game. Tim Thomas is going to make miracles. I would be shocked if he doesn’t come back with his best game of the playoffs. They came back in the first series, from two games. It’s only one game, we’ve done nothing yet.”
Bergeron skated this morning for the first time since he suffered a concussion May 6. He was expected to miss the first couple games of this series. He was at the Garden for the game and even showed up on the Jumbotron during a tribute to the troops.
TheBruinsBlog.net is with Boucher — Bergeron’s going to play Tuesday.
My guess is Julien will happily have Seguin go right back to the press box when/if Bergeron comes back.
I think Seguin probably needs to gain experience on a 2nd or third line and right now the Bruins are in the playoffs and that role just isn’t there at the moment for Seguin.
I would be tempted to sit Thornton and switch the lines a little according to needs. Throw Seguin out on the third or even second line, and have Recchi or Marchand flip back to the fourth if a checking line is needed (Seguin definitely isn’t all that great at the checking line or energy line, but Marchand could easily float if needed and I think Recchi would do fine).
I mean, Ryder sits and Seguin stays, right? Ryder is useless. He is living off of two goals both in one game and an excellent play in front of the net. Important plays, no doubt, but he has been useless otherwise
Oh Jean enjoy your summer are Boston’s goons as bad as Chris Nilan butt end to Middleton’s mouth, or the great antics of claude Lemeuix?
creative JPT
@Jean Philippe it’s spelled ‘Lightning’, sweetheart. Mmmkay?
Hahah your name is Jean Philippe Tremblay first of all which is hysterical in its own right… second such a sore loser that you are still all over our boards two series after ur weak squad lost…… Weakkkk, get a life bro
Trembling- still scared of the B’s huh?
Looks like the start of the beginning of the end for the Goons. What a show Horton and Lucic put on after the game was out of reach in the last minute of the game. Happy for the Lightening as I think I will puke in my Boston Goons garbage can if Chara’s name ever appears on the Stanley Cup.