Bruins Set for Conference Finals

39 years. In the same fashion that the 2004 Red Sox were constantly reminded that it had been 86 years since the franchise's last championship, the 2011 Boston Bruins are staring history square in the face. It has been a long, heartbreaking, and stressful 39 years for Bruins fans. The likes of Cam Neely and Ray Bourque poured in years and years of hard work with the spoked B on their chests, only to come up short and and every time. Whether it has been a Glen Wesley missed backhand, a Tim Taylor toe in the crease, a too many men on the ice penalty, or a devastating wrist injury that led to a brutal four-game collapse, the hub of hockey has been let down time and time again by the boys wearing black and gold.

Good things don't stay away forever. Have these Bruins finally broken through the red tape and put themselves in a position to win? It's too soon to even think about that, of course -- I won't be thinking about Chara raising the cup above his head until there are about 12 seconds left in the clinching game of the cup finals. But it has to start somewhere, and the Bruins will get their first crack at it Saturday night at TD Garden. As they prepare for another new opponent -- this time the star-studded Tampa Bay Lightning -- the B's will turn to their goaltending, their team defense, and their spectacular roster depth to get them over the hump once again.

In my eyes, Boston needs to win those categories to win the series. Up front, Tampa has the edge. When it comes to top end talent, the Lightning are, quite fittingly, electrifying. With the likes of Stamkos, Lecavalier, St. Louis, Gagne, and Malone, Tampa Bay has five forwards that arguably all have more offensive firepower than any of the Bruins forwards. Even if that may be a stretch, there is no denying that Tampa's big three forwards are dominating, fast, and possess an uncanny ability to bury the puck. You may not shut them down -- the key, though, will be exploiting their lack of depth. The Bolts lack the ability to roll three lines (maybe even four) like the Bruins can. They can't turn to their third and fourth lines with the confidence and comfort that Claude Julien can with his Bruins team. They don't have the firepower on the blue line that Boston does, and even though Roloson has played spectacular hockey for them since his arrival -- they don't have the Vezina trophy winner between the pipes.

Personally, I'm very interested to see how Boston's wild card third line performs to start this series. With Patrice Bergeron still out with a concussion, explosive rookie Tyler Seguin will be slotted into the lineup alongside Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder. With plenty of speed and lots of talent, this third line could be the X-factor early in this series. I'm expecting Seguin to play well, maybe aside from a few early-game jitters on Saturday night. Think about it. After an offseason, you would expect the kid to come back much stronger, much fresher, more mature, and an all-around better player. During this layoff for Seguin, it has been a mini-offseason of sorts. I would expect him to be a better player than we have seen thus far in his time here, and it should be a great growing experience for him as well. Apart from my clear bias and optimism, I truly believe that Seguin will have himself a good playoff debut in this series.

The NHL playoffs are the best, and this series promises to be no different. Of course, you never know what to expect in games like these ones in the months of may and june. By all indications, though, we can expect a hard-fought, energetic, captivating, and potentially long series between the Bruins and the Bolts. It has been a long, long time since the black and gold have been in this position. They appear focused and ready, and their fans can only hope we aren't witnessing another instance of Bruins heartbreak.