Tampa Bay vs. Boston- It was one of the best games of this playoff season. Boston and Tampa Bay went back and forth for over 52minutes until Nathan Horton got the only puck past Dwayne Roloson at 12:27 of the third period.
Entering the game, Roloson was 7-0 when facing elimination, and his first career loss when facing elimination came by the slimmest of margins. He made 37 saves on 38 shots while Bruins backstop Tim Thomas earned the shutout when he made 24 saves. After Boston scored, Tampa Bay tried to force the puck into the Boston zone but costly unforced errors such as offsides doomed them in the third period.
The game was so hard-fought by both squads that players sacrificed their faces in order to stop the puck from ending up on the wrong stick. Steven Stamkos fell victim to a deflected shot that hit him in the visor, cutting his nose and sending him off the ice for 10 minutes. He returned to the game wearing a full-facial cage. Had he not been wearing a visor, his nose or his eyes would have been as bloody as Old Faithful. Tampa Bay’s season may end, but with the team Steve Yzerman put together, they could be a rising force in the competitive Eastern Conference for years to come.
Below you can see where Stamkos was hit in the visor by a puck, to return 10 minutes later and continue to play.
By virtue of winning the Prince of Wales Trophy, Boston will travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks for the Stanley Cup Wednesday night.
