Holy crap!
There were a couple of surprises when it came to the last matchups in the East. First of all, although I had Boston beating Philly to move on, I certainly didn't think they'd sweep em'! I think everyone was confident in a tough, hard fought series. Not saying that was easy for Boston, but beating the Flyers in four straight games will save them some bumps and bruises from a longer series.
Even more surprising, and quite honestly the shock of the playoffs so far, was Tampa Bay beating Washington 4 games to none. Are you kidding me? Tampa proved their worth in the first round by taking out the Pens and nobody is arguing against a talented and well rounded line up. But the Capitals were the best team in the East through the regular season and had a lot to prove with past playoff exits to overcome. But man, the wheels came off and Tampa uncerimoniously bounced 'em. Ouch.
Boston Bruins
vs
Tampa Bay Lightning
Again, I picked Boston to go to the final this year, so I'm happy to see them in the Eastern final. They are definitely coming together as a team and finding a playoff identity, as it were. In last night's game, which clinched the series, Patrice Bergeron left the game with what is now known as another concussion. Bergeron has a very troubling past with head injuries and this cannot bode well. Although it's only day old news and not a lot is known, if he's got a concussion, he won't be back in these playoffs. On the other hand, Chara, Lucic, Horton and Marchand have really started to take the reins.
Tampa shocked the hell outta me (and more, I'm sure) by sweeping the Caps. Great job! I like Tampa, their players, their rookie coach...I wish them all the best. They have a good mix of expeience with Vinnie, St. Louis, Malone, Roloson.....good mix of youngs in Stamkos, Downie, Hedman, etc. I like their chances, truth be told. This is the farthest they've gone into the post season since winning the cup in '04. I would be quite happy to see them advance, as much as anybody. The only thing making my decision on this series is sticking to my original call of Boston taking it all.
Boston in six
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