Vancouver awaits, but Bruins aren’t looking that far just yet

TAMPA — That the Vancouver Canucks are now the Western Conference champions and await the winner of the Bruins-Tampa Bay series might make the reality of Boston’s current situation a little more tangible to outsiders.

However, the Bruins players aren’t about to let the waiting Canucks distract them from the Lightning, who the Bruins will try to eliminate tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.

“In the playoffs, you’re always thinking about opponents and for me at the beginning I think it was Vancouver, they were obviously one of the strongest teams,” said Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg after his team’s morning skate. “But at the end, it doesn’t really matter who it is. And right now, our main focus is on tonight and focusing on our game.”

Forward Daniel Paille remembers that the Bruins might’ve got caught looking ahead last spring prior to and during their historic collapse against Philly. So he doesn’t want to hear anything about the Canucks unless the Bruins have already put the Lightning away.

“When the time comes and we get a chance to win, that’ll be the feeling for me,” he said. “Until then, when we were up 3-0 last year against Philly, look what happened there. Until it happens, then I’ll be excited.”