By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2011
BOSTON — As surprising as it might have been, Lightning coach Guy Boucher's decision to start backup G Mike Smith in Monday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final was not made in a vacuum.
Among those Boucher consulted was general manager Steve Yzerman.
"We discuss everything," Yzerman said. "And I support him 100 percent."
While Yzerman was well aware Smith would make his first career playoff start, most people on the outside (including the Bruins) didn't know until the 29-year-old led the team out for pre-game warmups.
That's a crafty bit of gamesmanship by Boucher, who made the goalie situation an intriguing question mark.
Boucher had been very cryptic in his comments about the subject ever since Smith was stellar in relief efforts of No. 1 G Dwayne Roloson in Saturday's 5-3 comeback victory over the Bruins. Roloson had been pulled from two of the previous three games (when he has had a 5.64 goals against average), but it was still thought the 41-year-old would get the nod Monday.
No clues were given during the morning skate. Typically, the goaltender who comes off the ice first is the one that starts. But while Roloson came off first, Smith was almost immediately after, and didn't do any extra work with the scratches.
When Boucher was asked in his post-practice news conference if Roloson was starting, he said, "We're preparing like usual. He's preparing like he prepared for all the other games. So we're prepared."
Asked why he would not just come out and say who was in net, Boucher repeated, "He's prepared. He's done the morning skate like usual. … We had a good talk, he knows what's coming up."
Roloson also offered little, smiling and saying, "I'm preparing like I'm playing like always."
Roloson is a big reason the Lightning is here, becoming a steadying force since his acquisition in January, and he entered this round leading the league in goals against average. But Smith stepped up in both Games 2 and 4, stopping all 29 shots he faced including 21 Saturday.
Without giving anything away Monday morning, Roloson appeared to understand the coaches' situation. "Nobody has ever questioned what our coaching staff and management of done," Roloson said. "Ever since I've been here, it's been amazing. They're all players, they've been through it, they know what the situations are. So they're going to do whatever it takes to win hockey games."
MEDICAL MATTERS: RW Steve Downie, whose head hit the glass and bounced off the ice after he was hit by Nathan Horton in the second period of Game 4, was in the lineup Monday, logging 16:56. He was called for a boarding penalty in the third period for a hit which caused Bruins D Johnny Boychuk to leave the game. Downie's status had been in question since he left Saturday's game with the injury and didn't return.
HEADS UP: Much was made about the growth of Lightning D Victor Hedman over the first two playoff rounds. And though Hedman has had a rough time the previous few games, including a bad giveaway that led to one Boston goal in Game 4 (and another that nearly led to a goal), Boucher said he does not believe Hedman has flattened out. "What I like is the fact that we didn't sit him on the bench, and we didn't bring him down even further," Boucher said. "I think (assistant coach) Dan Lacroix, taking care of the defensemen, did a very good job with him of calming him down, and he was terrific in the second and third periods and was part of the goals that we got back."
Times staff writer Damian Cristodero contributed to this report. Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.