After handling the Philadelphia Flyers  in a 4-0 series sweep, the Boston Bruins will next face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals. The Lightning dominated in their Semifinal matchup as well, edging the 1st place Washington Capitals in each of their four contests. Games 1 and 2 will take place in Boston starting Saturday, May 14th. Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron has been inactive since suffering a concussion in the third period of Game 4 last Friday. “He’s doing better,” said Boston coach Claude Julien. “He’s here and he’s doing better. He’s dealing with the concussion symptoms and the protocol. He’s here today because he’s feeling better. If anything, we’re getting some positive feedback from him.” View the full Bruins vs. Lightning Playoff Schedule: Game 1: Saturday, May 14 at Boston, 8 PM Game 2: Tuesday, May 17 at Boston, 8 PM Game 3: Thursday, May 19 at Tampa Bay, 8:00 PM Game 4: Saturday, May 21 at Tampa Bay, 1:30 PM *Game 5: Monday, May 23 at Boston, 8 PM *Game 6: Wednesday, May 25 at Tampa Bay, 8 PM *Game 7: Friday, May 27 at Boston, 8 PM

Recap – The days from 2004 when the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup Championship are long gone, and currently the team is struggling to find an identity. Only 5 members of the active 29 on the roster skated in the Lightning’s championship victory four short years ago. The team is young, and the ownership is content with developing them as a unit. Center Vincent Lecavalier had a stellar first half netting 30 goals and 36 assist. These numbers were good enough to earn him 2008 Eastern Conference captain honors at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game. 2nd Half – The Lightning looked much better at home then on the road in the first half of the season, unfortunately for them, they play more road games during the 2nd half where they struggled and lost a conference high of 14 games. Look for Lecavalier to continue to have great numbers, too bad the team will not finish well and he will not be considered as the league MVP for that reason. Team Name: Tampa Bay Lightning (20-24-5) Southeast Division Standing: 5th place Conference Standing: 15th place Final Predictions: 4th in Southeast Division, 14th in Eastern Conference