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File it under “duh": Claude Julien says Tyler Seguin is in for Game 3

Tyler Seguin

While Patrice Bergeron is getting closer to returning to the Bruins lineup (we’ll know more after tomorrow’s morning skate), his eventual return means that someone is going to have to sit out of the starting lineup. Given how well things went for the Bruins last night in their 6-5 win over Tampa Bay in Game 2, the choices are a bit tougher to come by.

With the options being between Bergeron’s replacement Tyler Seguin, winger Michael Ryder, and tough guy Shawn Thornton the one guy most Bruins fans might’ve been worried about was Seguin. After the way Seguin has played in the first two games of this series, even coach Claude Julien, who scratched Seguin for the first two rounds of the playoffs, knows that he can’t just sit down the hot hand.

CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty gets the scoop from the Bruins coach that there’s no way Seguin comes out in favor of Bergeron if he’s ready for Game 3.

“He’s in. [Seguin] will certainly be in the lineup,” said Julien of Seguin’s availability for Game Three. “He’s earned it. I really liked what I saw out of that whole line actually.

“You don’t pull a guy like that out of your lineup that’s been very good. Like I said, he’s earned it, he deserves to be in the lineup, and that’s what we want to see. We want to see those kind of things happening.”

It’s expected that B’s enforcer Shawn Thornton will be the odd guy out if Patrice Bergeron also returns to the Boston fold when the B’s get going at the St Pete Times Forum for Game Three.


Sanity prevails in Beantown.

Taking Seguin out after he’s been producing like this, even in limited minutes, would’ve been madness even in getting the Bruins top scorer after two rounds back in Bergeron. Whether you want to attribute Seguin’s play to being motivated after being benched for the first 11 games of the playoffs or chalk it up to Tampa Bay not doing their part to shut down the Bruins third line that’s your prerogative but the facts are that Seguin’s talent is finally seeing the light of day and he’s showing just what he’s capable of.

Should Thornton be the guy to come out, the Bruins aren’t losing much of anything there aside from a great quote guy for after the game. Yes he plays solid, physical hockey but he also plays less than nine minutes a game. Going with a deeper lineup that has both Seguin and Bergeron in it makes the Bruins that much more dangerous. They’ve already got the physical element nailed down, but the goals must keep coming so long as the Bruins defense isn’t doing their job to slow down Tampa Bay’s offense.

This discussion might all be moot tomorrow if Bergeron is a no-go, but the fact that Julien has finally stuck with Seguin is a good thing to see for both Seguin and the rest of the team.