The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lighting Face off for the right to play for the Stanley Cup

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The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lighting Face off for the right to play for the Stanley Cup

The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lighting are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals in a series between two teams playing excellent hockey. Tim Thomas and the Bruins will host Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.

Thomas, the favorite for the Vezina Trophy as the top regular season goalie, has been stellar during the postseason, too. His 2.03 goals-against-average and .937 save percentage are the NHL’s second best.

What may come as a surprise is that 41-year old Tampa Bay goalie Dwayne Roloson (2.01 G-A-A and .941 save percentage) actually has slightly better numbers than Thomas through two playoff rounds.

Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman worked out a deal to acquire Roloson from the New York Islanders on New Year’s Day. The result was consistent goaltending that keyed the Lightning’s first postseason berth in four years.

Thomas does have a past with Tampa Bay. He attended the Lightning’s training camp in 1999 and played that season in their minor league system. He was also a college teammate at Vermont with Tampa Bay right wing Martin St. Louis.

Thomas’ style provides few tendencies, which prompts a simple game plan: Put as many shots on goal as possible. Tampa Bay continued a weeklong trend of increasing practice intensity on Thursday.

This game could come down to goal tending and although Thomas has the edge, it’s the Lightning that will steal the show in game one.

Hockey Picks: Tampa Bay Lightning

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