Game Five in Boston

	Tryst'n'Grant	Langdon River Dogs	Superstar	All She Wrote	Pucking Luck	Kalenab	seaherwet	Hollywoods Heroes	Granny Smith	Madness? This is MARTA!
	255 points	-3 points	-17	-18	-19	-23	-23	-24	-24	-27
Steven Stamkos (13)				x
Martin St. Louis (14)	x		x	x	x	x
Vincent Lecavalier (15)	x				x	x	x	x
Simon Gagne (18)		x						x		x
Teddy Purcell (19)	x	x		x			x			x
Victor Hedman (20)									x	x
Pavel Kubina (21)									x
Eric Brewer (23)		x	x				x		x
Dwayne Roloson (24)			x			x
Patrice Bergeron (13)							x		x
David Krejci (14)		x					x		x	x
Milan Lucic (15)										x
Nathan Horton (16)		x				x
Michael Ryder (18)			x		x	x
Brad Marchand (19)			x					x
Tomas Kaberle (20)				x
Zdeno Chara (21)	x		x	x	x	x		x
Johnny Boychuk (23)	x
Tim Thomas (24)	x	x		x	x		x	x	x	x

An Eastern Conference preview post? Wow. Haven't seen one of these in a little while. Well, there's some time before the game and I thought I would pop one off here for you to have a peek at. The top 10 teams are finally rounding out into those that have the right players, even if this series is to go the entire distance.

This series has such a better dynamic to the standings in the pool, as there isn't a lot of consistency through the top 10 teams, making it far harder to stay in the same position from game to game.

Between the top two teams, you can pit two players from either the Lightning or the Bruins against each other, as Tryst'n'Grant has the advantage with Tampa, while the Langdon River Dogs have a decided advantage with Boston, in theory, of course.

In teams three through five, you can eliminate both Martin St. Louis and Zdeno Chara from the equation, since those four teams carry both players, but the mix does remain interesting otherwise.  A big game from the top players for Boston could see seeherwet jump right back into the money mix quite easily, but the top players for the Bruins are supposed to be playing somewhat hurt at the moment.

So, let's get to the game itself, as we're likely in for a bit of a treat.  The Lightning stormed back in Game Four to tie the series at two games a piece, which arguably could give the road team some momentum going into Game Five.  Both teams have won and lost at home in this series, so I don't think that any one team is going to be a lock in Game Five.

For the Lightning to be successful, they really have to play on the loose nature of the Bruins back end, hoping to rattle some cages early with some quick forechecking and quicker passing.  The Lightning have scored five goals in three of the four games, the other game, they were shutout in a Game Three loss.  If the Bolts end up getting one, there is a good chance that they will get five or so history tells us.  Dwayne Roloson is thought to be getting the nod tonight, but his last start being as shaky as it was, has many doubts in the minds of those paying close attention.  I would have to guess, personally, that he will be back in for this one.

Box 17 forward Steve Downie is considered to be a game-time decision for the Lightning, as he's dealing with an upper-body injury.  Downie has been clutch for the Lightning in these playoffs, but not quite in this series versus the Bruins.  Downie has yet to register a point against Boston, but his presence is still missed, especially on the forecheck.

For the Bruins, discipline will be key... not only staying out of the penalty box, but keeping to the defensive system as well.  The lapse in discipline cost the Bruins a win in Game Four and they could be up 3-1 in the series, rather than working to take a 3-2 lead back to Tampa Bay.  The Bruins will also have to jump out to lead the tempo as well in Game Five, as they have shown to be a team that had trouble dealing with the opposition pressure, when the Lightning carry the puck with authority.

I've got to admit, I kind of like the Lightning in this one, but those Bruins are built to surprise a team at every turn. There isn't much separating these two, except for what happens in the next 60+ minutes of hockey we'll be watching on Monday night.  I still like the Bolts in this game, I think they have the tools and a bit more confidence, even at TD Gardens, not to lose.