Ready for the next round: An NHL scout gives his take on Bruins' next opponent

The Bruins survived a wild series against Toronto, grinding a memorable Game 7 win Wednesday night after they let a 3-1 series lead evaporate with consecutive losses. Waiting for them in Tampa Bay is a well-rested Lightning team that has not played since eliminating the Devils last Saturday.

So what will it take for the Bruins to beat Tampa, which finished the season atop the Eastern Conference with 113 points?

Part of the Bruins' charm is their combination of young talent and grizzled veterans. Jake DeBrusk, Boston’s 21-year-old left wing, emerged as one of the team’s most dependable forwards in the first round. His five goals tied David Pastrnak for the team lead, and DeBrusk’s ability to be physical with his forechecks powered his game.

DeBrusk saved the Bruins' season Wednesday night with two goals, including one 5:25 seconds into the third period that gave the Bruins a 5-4 lead in their 7-4 Game 7 victory.

This has been the theme this season for the Bruins, whose success with young talent has made for a stunning impression throughout the league. Rookie Danton Heinen played well in the first half of the regular season and tied with DeBrusk for fifth on the team with 16 goals. He was scratched in Game 6, but returned to score a goal in Game 7. Ryan Donato, who left Harvard to join the Bruins, scored nine points in the final 12 games.

Their fourth line of Tim Schaller, Sean Kuraly, and Noel Acciari contributed eight points in the series against the Maple Leafs.

In preparation for the second-round series between the Lightning and Bruins, Bostonsportsjournal.com asked a Western Conference scout who has studied both teams to assess the matchup.

“Well, Boston all year has been a team that rolls four lines at you. They come hard, and their competitiveness and their spirit is something that has driven them all year,” said the scout. “They were a team that kind of, to be quite honest with you, from other team’s perspectives around the league, I think surprised everybody with just how good they were. A lot of the guys, at least from a scouting perspective, you didn’t know a lot of players that are on their roster now.

“They have some guys that are real gamers, with (Patrice) Bergeron and (Brad) Marchand, the experience of some of their D. They have an experienced group, but they have a really young core that doesn’t know any better, and they play hard and they’re talented.”

Tampa Bay will match the Bruins well with a more experienced, steady group. The Bruins certainly aren’t without their veterans. Bergeron, Marchand, Tuukka Rask, David Krejci, and Adam McQuaid were part of the 2010 team that won the Stanley Cup.

The Lightning have done it recently with extended playoff runs in the last four years. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 and the Eastern Conference Final the following year. Chris Kunitz, who signed with the Lightning last offseason after nine seasons with Pittsburgh, entered the postseason with 161 games of playoff experience and has won the Stanley Cup four times.

Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov bring top-tier talent to the Tampa Bay offense, and combined for 16 points in a 4-1 series win against the Devils. Their top defensive pairing of Victor Hedman and Dan Girardi have a combined 187 playoff games between them entering this seasons.

“They have some dynamic offensive talented players, similar to Toronto in that respect but their guys are a little bit more playoff experienced and have been through the grind of it with Kucherov, Stamkos, and (Ondrej) Palat,” said the scout. “Take their talent and take their experience, and have their rest on top of that – that makes them a real dangerous team (for Boston).”

Going forward, the Bruins need to find a way to play like the team that surged to a 2-0 series lead against Toronto and outscored them 12-4. At that point, the top line of Marchand, Bergeron, and Pastrnak were rolling – they combined for 20 points in those first two games.

Their power-play stalled later in the series. The Bruins were a combined 1-for-8 in Game 5 and 6, two losses where victories could have closed out the series.

Rask was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots in Game 5, but saved 22 of 24 shots in Game 6. The problem is that Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, who was also pulled in Game 2, had been even better later in the series. Ultimately, the Bruins found a way to beat Andersen with four third-period goals in Game 7.

None of that matters now that the Bruins are out of the first round. They can get a fresh start against the Lightning Saturday – another series that can be expected to go deep.

SCOUTING THE LIGHTNING

Most dangerous player

Nikita Kucherov, right wing: It's hard to believe Stamkos is in his 10th season. He's long been the backbone of the Lightning, but that torch is being passed to the 24-year-old Kucherov. He scored 39 goals and had 61 assists in the regular season, and his 100 points paced third in the league. Kucherov had three assists against the Bruins in four games but was held scoreless.

Weakest player

Mikhail Sergachev, defenseman: The 19-year-old is the Lightning's answer to the the Bruins youth movement. He had nine goals and 31 assists in the regular season but the bigger question is how he'll respond on the playoff stage. Tampa coach Jon Cooper is keeping a short leash on the young defenseman. Sergachev, who averaged 15:22 on the ice, played less than 10 minutes in three of the Lightning's five games in the first round against the Devils.

Who's hot

Kucherov's five goals and five assists led the Lightning in the their first round romp against the Devils. He had two goals and an assist in Game 4 to push Tampa's series lead to 3-1, but it was his aggressive defensive effort that completed the performance.

Who's not

The Lightning likely have not seen Brayden Point reach his full potential in the first round. Point, the Lightning's second-line center, had a goal and two assists. His line is tasked to be Tampa's shut-down trio, but Point was on the ice for four even-strength goals in the series.

Between the pipes

Andrei Vasilevskiy: The 23-year-old goaltender went 44-17-3 this season, but entered the playoffs having lost three of his last five starts. He started all four games against the Bruins and lost three of them, but settled in during the first round. After he allowed eight goals in the first three games, Vasilevskiy stopped 53 of 55 shots the rest of the way.

Lightning strength that will give the Bruins trouble

The Lightning roll four strong lines that will be sure to test the Bruins depth on defense. Boston has its three top goal scorers in Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron, plus the emergence of DeBrusk, but Tampa Bay has the man power to counter that. The Lightning had four skaters 20-plus goals this season, in addition to the 39 and 32 from Kucherov and Point, respectively.

Lightning weakness that the Bruins will try to exploit

Capitalizing on power-play opportunities will be key for the Bruins. They were 1-for-8 in Games 5 and 6 against the Maple Leafs, which played a part in Toronto forcing a Game 7. The Lightning have struggled all season on the penalty kill. They allowed 64 power-play goals, which was second-worst in the league, and allowed three against the Devils in the first round.