Redemption: Bruins Sweep Away Flyers

I was in Section 325. High above ice level, I rejoiced with my fellow Bruins fans. A year after losing Game 4 in overtime and proceeding to choke away a 3-0 lead in the most epically awful manner, the Boston Bruins achieved redemption. They weren't about to let the Flyers even think about another historic comeback. With their second straight 5-1 victory, the B's swept away the Flyers in four games.

Bruins fans everywhere are asking the same question. Is it finally our year? It's the first time in a while that I've considered it a true possibility. Even if the B's hadn't choked up the lead against Philly last year, you knew that the way the team was playing, they wouldn't have had enough to win the Cup. Not the same feeling this season. This squad is clicking, getting exceptional goaltending, limiting their breakdowns and playing solid team defense. The first line is finally contributing, coming off a huge series against these Flyers. Everything looks very promising moving forward. Everything except for one thing.

Patrice Bergeron suffered a mild concussion last night in Game 4. Very bad news for Boston. Bergeron might be the most important forward on this team. His skates are impossible to fill -- from the leadership he brings, to his defensive prowess, to his offensive playmaking -- it simply cannot be done. It will likely be Tyler Seguin who gets a chance to fill that role, whether it be on that line or in a different spot in the lineup. Fans have wanted to see Seguin get a chance, and he finally has it. But I think everyone can agree that this is pretty much the last circumstance under which we would want the kid to see ice time.

The biggest concern for Bergy is that he has had concussions in the past, including a vicious one a few years ago. Concussions are a scary thing. We saw Marc Savard rush into a comeback, and that severely backfired on both his own health and this team's standing. You have to be careful treating a situation like this one, especially with a much younger Bergeron who is one of the primary leaders on this team. As much as you want the Cup this year, the smarter decision would be to treat this with every precaution in consideration -- rely on your depth and ensure that you don't lose this guy in the long term. Peter Chiarelli built a team that is structured to endure adversity like this. There are plenty of teams around the league that wish they had Tyler Seguin at their disposal to plug into the lineup in the case of an injury. Even without Bergy, the B's have a very formidable lineup and they have every capability of taking down Tampa. But they're going to need continued domination from their goaltender, continued power from their defensive core, and continued scoring from their top line. If those things don't happen, and if there is a rusty transition into new combos on lines 2 and 3, the Bruins will have a tough time getting past these skilled and experienced Bolts.

We'll see what happens with Bergeron and the Bruins lineup with Tyler Seguin sliding into the mix. Either way, the other leaders in that locker room will need to step up and make sure that whole squad can still smell the roses. Eight wins separate this city from something it has craved for 39 years.

  

Why History Won't Repeat for B's

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Here we are, one year after the beginning of last year's second round debacle, and the situations are eerily similar. In the 2010 playoffs, the Bruins beat Buffalo in Round 1 and took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Flyers in the semi-finals. We all know what happened in the rest of that series so I won't repeat it here. In this year's playoffs, the Bruins won a nail-biting game 7 against Montreal with Nathan Horton's clutch goal.

Today, they have that same 3-0 lead over the Flyers and are hoping to wrap up the series tomorrow night at the Garden. Already the nay-sayers have come out, drawing comparisons to last year's series and claiming the Bruins might blow the lead again. A few words come to mind here, but I'll some up those claims with just one word: ridiculous. The 2011 Boston Bruins are NOT the same team they were last year. If you watched the first 3 games of the series then you know that. If you take a look at the roster then you know that. Allow me to ease your minds and give you a few reasons why the Bruins will move on to the Conference Finals.

1. Healthy Roster

The Bruins aren't dealing with the loss of key players due to injury like last year. David Krejci has been excellent in this series, but we all remember what happened last year. He got hurt in game 4 last year, and his injury is one of the biggest reasons the B's lost the series. With 5 goals and 4 assists, he's had a tremendous playoffs so far despite the Flyers trying to knock him off his game. He'll continue to play well and have an impact in all zones as long as he stays healthy. Dennis Seidenberg also got hurt before the playoffs last year and his speed and skills were missed. Many people criticize his defensive end play but he has steadily improved over the cource of the playoffs and at times had been our best d-man. His puck-moving skills were missed last years but he's here now and ready to play.

2. Different Flyers Team

This is also a different team that the Bruins are facing as well. Speedy winger Simon Gagne (who scored four goals on us in last year's series) is on the Lightning now. He was a constant scoring threat last year and now with him gone it's one less thing to worry about. Chris Pronger is also a year older, and although he is still a feared defenseman, he's battling with injuries as well. He missed game 3 and even if he returns to play tomorrow, he won't be 100% and the Bruins will continue to take advantage of that. Jeff Carter, perhaps the most offensively skilled forward on the Flyers, missed games 1 and 2 and he clearly wasn't completely ready to play either. The Flyers are a strong team, but not strong enough to come back from this deficit.

3. New Faces

The Bruins' roster contains a lot of familiar faces, but there a lot of new players that Chiarelli has brought in since last year. Besides the return of Krejci and Seidenberg from injury last year, he's aquired a few new players both via trades, free agency, and our own farm system. Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell were brought in from Florida and have had a tremendous impact in the playoffs. Nathan Horton has 5 goals this playoffs, including two OT game winners. Campbell has been a very reliable defensive player on the PK and centers the energetic fourth line. Chris Kelly from Ottowa and Rich Peverly from have developed great chemistry with Michael Ryder on the third line and bring a constant scoring threat. Tomas Kaberle is a very skilled defenseman, and although he is not producing offensively as much as we expected, has improved out puck-moving abilities as a team and makes our power play better. Finally, Brad Marchand has earned his roster spot from the beginning of the season and has excelled in every facet of the game, being one of the B's best players night after night.

4. Won't Get Fooled Again

If nothing else can be taken out of last year's debacle, it's a learning experience. Claude Julien and his squad took a hard learned lesson and used it to build on this year's team. Just watching the games, you can see that they're playing with an intensity seldom seen before. They're scoring goals, finishing checks, winning one on one battles, and playing pristine defense. If you watched Game 3 then you know what I'm talking about. They just did everything right. They're determined not to let it happen again. They're confident, aggressive, having fun, and most importantly, they're winning.

5. Goaltending
Look, I'm not blaming Tuukka Rask for last year's implosion. In fact, he played great last year, even during the playoffs. But Tim Thomas is stellar. Save after save, he stands on his head and keeps his team in the game. He's a lock for the Vezina (knock on wood) and there isn't a goalie alive that I'd rather have between the pipes right now than Tim Thomas. Look down the other end and you'll see a revolving door in the Flyer's net. They've already used 3 different goalies so far this playoffs, including Michael Leighton, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Brian Boucher. The Bruins have absolutely embarrassed Boucher and Bobrovsky so far, and the Flyers will continue to struggle there. Defense wins championships, and a good defense starts with a great goalie. Bruins got it. Flyer's don't. It's that simple.

See ya soon, Lightning.