Eastern Conference Finals #3 Boston Bruins vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning The Lightning have surprised many, including me, by making it to the Conference Finals, but you get the succinct feeling that they are not at all surprised. Although, if you remember coach Guy Boucher's press conferences before and during last series you may believe he is surprised, but he was simply playing the word-game with the Washington players. Boucher has been quiet leading up to this historical series, though much of the attention was rightfully being focused on the two Western series' that were still alive. Perhaps it's because Boucher knows his David vs. Goliath references won't work this time. It won't work because despite the seeding difference, the two teams finished with 103 points and identical records (46-25-11). This series is historical because this is the first time the Bruins and Lightning have matched up against each other in a playoff series. There is no bad blood, no familiarity; this series is a complete unknown. Tampa has won seven games in a row and that will receive a lot of attention heading into Saturday's game one, but Boston's six-game win streak isn't too shabby either. Goalies: In the Boston net is Vezina front-runner Tim Thomas, who has been remarkable all season long. In the playoffs he is second in goals against average and save percentage. First in both of those stats, of course, is Tampa's Dwayne Roloson. Still, Thomas' greatness has lasted all year and I think that gives him the edge over the hot Roloson – who has been good all year, but not on Thomas' level. Thomas is also four years younger at 37-years-old and doesn't have nearly the hockey miles on his body. Edge: Boston. Defense: Once again Boston employs a trophy candidate here, with Zdeno Chara being nominated for the Norris. He didn't rack up the points he has before, like when he won the Norris in 2009, but he seems to have improved his positional play and stick work in his own end even as the season has gone on; he leads all players in plus/minus. He has a steady group alongside him with Tomas Kaberle, Dennis Siedenberg, Johnny Boychuk and Andrew Ference all playing well. Tampa Bay isn't as wealthy on the back end, but they aren't as depleted as one thinks. Sturdy veterans Mattias Ohlund and Eric Brewer keep the puck out of high-scoring zones, while Pavel Kubina and youngster Victor Hedman are sporadically good. The inconsistencies here are more prevalent than their counterparts, and more prone to being exposed by a team with a very good fore-check like Boston. Edge: Boston. Forwards: This section is almost tossed out as an 'incomplete', simply because Boston's best forward, Patrice Bergeron, is out to start the series with a mild concussion. His importance cannot be understated, and he is just as vital to his team as Ryan Kesler is to Vancouver. Bergeron had 12 points and a +7 rating in 11 games, while winning 64.2% of his faceoffs. Boston is deep up front, filled with quality players that play their roles well, but without Bergeron their lineup could get jumbled, and their roles could get lost. Tampa Bay's forwards, meanwhile, have been the most dangerous group in the playoffs. They have four forwards between 11-13 points in the playoffs (Lecavalier, St. Louis, Purcell, Downie), and that doesn't include Sean Bergenheim who has seven goals, or Steven Stamkos who had 91 points in the regular season, or even Simon Gagne who had 7 points in 8 games before suffering a concussion on his own. Tampa doesn't rely on Gagne like Boston does Bergeron, so the loss is very different. And they also have a group who are very aware of their roles and excel in them; they have all bought into Guy Boucher's plan and executed very well. Edge: Tampa Bay. Essentially, I see this series coming down to a battle between Tampa Bay's 1-3-1 neutral zone wall and Boston's ability to get through it and fore-check. They are big, quick, and high skilled with the puck and if they get to the corners of Tampa's zone consistently, they will have a lot of success. But would I be surprised if Tampa continued to buck the trend under a rookie head coach and rookie GM? Not one bit; they have executed their plan perfectly thus far. But the pick here is Bruins in six to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990. Western Conference Finals #1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #2 San Jose Sharks Many believed these teams to be the top-two in the entire NHL after the regular season finished, so it is only fitting that they would face-off against one another for the right to play in the Stanley Cup Finals representing the Western Conference. Vancouver was the runaway leader as the best team in the regular season with 117 points, while San Jose finished with the third-most points with 105. San Jose made it to the Conference Finals last year as well, losing to the eventual champs in Chicago. Last year was when they expelled their playoff demons, so though they are coming off of a huge emotional victory over Detroit in Game 7, they cannot be satisfied with simply making it to the Final Four for the second straight season. Vancouver, on the other hand, could conceivably be satisfied in making the Final Four, as the franchise hasn't been past the second round since 1994 when they lost to the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games. This year, however, the Cup is the only viable goal for a club that ran roughshod over the rest of the league during the regular season. The Canucks expelled their own demons against Chicago in the first round in a high scoring series. They showed they can win either way by beating Nashville in a low-scoring, tight-checking affair in the second round. The Sharks won a crazy series against the Kings, and then perhaps the closest series in NHL history against the Red Wings. Both teams enter this series with a great deal of confidence, and a fair amount of health. Goalies: For the #1 seeded Canucks, Roberto Luongo is a lightning rod for criticism. He has been paid handsomely throughout his career, and has continually followed great regular seasons with poor postseasons. This year, his regular season was exceptional, earning him a nomination for the Vezina trophy for the first time in his career. And after a shaky Chicago series, Luongo was excellent in the second round. Oh, and he was also the winning goalie for the gold medal game in the Winter Olympics for Canada, in Vancouver no less. The Sharks have Niemi in net, who also had a poor first round. His second round, however, was other-worldly. Against Detroit he faced over 35 shots per game, and stopped 93.1% of them. Last year Niemi raised the Cup as the winning goalie for Chicago, and in his NHL career he has won six series' and lost zero. Edge: San Jose. Defense: If you ask me, Vancouver has the best group of defensemen in the NHL. Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa have both been outstanding in the playoffs, and in all three zones on the ice. Alexander Edler and Christian Ehrhoff are both outstanding defensemen in their own right who contribute offensively and defensively, while Keith Ballard, Sami Salo, and Andrew Alberts fill it out nicely. Vancouver also has the second-most takeaways in the playoffs after Detroit. Oh, and Ryan Kesler has been known to play some pretty good defense too, in case you didn't already know. The blueline has been San Jose's area-of-need all season long, ever since the retirement of former captain Rob Blake. Dan Boyle is a star defensemen, and while his offensive contributions are greatly known, he has also really stepped up positionally this postseason. Douglas Murray is a concrete wall on the back-end, but Ian White, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Niclas Wallin and Jason Demers do not compare to the Canucks roster. Edge: Canucks. Offense: The Sharks have a couple of players who have been vilified over the years for their playoff failures, most notably Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton. This season, Thornton has been exceptional on both ends of the ice, with nine assists in 13 games, a 60.7% success rate on faceoffs, and 14 takeaways. Marleau had a good series against the Kings (five points) but a very poor one against Detroit. Will his game-winning goal in Game 7 turn him around? The Sharks also have great depth up front, and are getting fantastic contributions from Ryane Clowe, Devin Setoguchi, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Dany Heatley, and Kyle Wellwood. Vancouver is just as deep up front as San Jose. Thornton has won an MVP, but so has Henrik Sedin, while his brother Daniel is nominated this year; both won an Art Ross. However like San Jose's stars, both have been hit-and-miss in the playoffs; both are -8 this year in the playoffs but at least Daniel has six goals. Ryan Kesler has been the story so far, leading the early Conn Smythe race with 15 points in 13 games, including factoring in on 11 of the last 14 Vancouver goals. Lots of secondary options in Vancouver as well with Alex Burrows, Mason Raymond, Mikael Samuelsson, Christopher Higgins, and fantastic grinders. Edge: Canucks, ever so slightly because of Kesler. In the end, I think after Vancouver beat Chicago they regained their confidence and are poised to beat anyone in their way. Luongo can be shaky at times, but so can Niemi, and this will likely come down to which goalie plays better. While Niemi has been better in the playoffs so far, Vancouver has a little bit more to throw at San Jose, so I see a really tight, high scoring series with Vancouver in seven. Nick is RealGM's NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email [email protected] or on twitter @NickObergan