NHL Playoffs 2012: Tyler Seguin Is Excited to Play Larger Role for Boston Bruins

Tyler Seguin enters the 2012 NHL playoffs as one of the most important Boston Bruins players in their Stanley Cup defense, and he's ready for this challenge as well as the pressure that comes with it.

"I'm very excited to get ready for the playoffs, and participate in the playoffs in a bit different of a role," said Seguin after Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last year, Seguin was a healthy scratch for the first two rounds and only got an opportunity in the conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning because of an injury to center Patrice Bergeron. 

Seguin's fantastic play in Games 1 and 2 of the Lightning series proved he could shine on the biggest stage and be an effective part of the team despite his lack of experience. 

This season, Seguin has taken on a increased role with the Bruins and leads the team in points with 65. He's also tied for the lead in goals with 27, tied for third in assists with 38, and is fourth with a plus/minus rating of 31.

Seguin's improvement was certainly noticed throughout the league, evidenced by his selection to the All-Star Game back in January.

For a player under a lot of pressure to become a superstar player, Seguin has really done well this season to develop his game. 

Fans want him to be as productive as other high draft picks like Lightning star Steven Stamkos, but you cannot expect Seguin to score 40-plus goals in just his second season, especially when he has to play in the Bruins' defense-first style of hockey.

He's had his ups and downs this season, but that's normal for any young player. Some inconsistency is expected from young players who are still learning the ins and outs of the NHL level.

When asked about his progress as a player this season, Seguin said, "I made a couple goals coming into this year personally."

"I thought I had pretty much kept most of them, but obviously you want to keep improving and keep going down in the D-zone". "In big games like [Thursday vs. Pittsburgh], you don’t want to walk away with minuses on the stat sheet. That’s one for myself and our line. We want to be good in our d-zone." 

Seguin will be playing on one of the top two lines this postseason instead of being a third-line fill-in like he was last year, so the expectations are going to be huge.

However, there's no reason to think Seguin will crumble under the increased pressure of being a player counted on to excel offensively in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He not only has improved his offensive talents this year, he's also gotten much better defensively.

Seguin back checks well, makes smarter decisions in his own zone, gets back on defense, and is even playing with more physicality in his game.

Having the experience of making a deep playoff run as a rookie will be so valuable to Seguin in this year's playoffs. He understands what it's like to play in an Original Six hockey town in the playoffs and won't be fazed by the bright lights.

Without having to fight for a spot in the lineup this season, Seguin will be able to relax and let his extraordinary talents take over when the playoffs begin on April 12. 

Seguin's performance in the playoffs will be one the of biggest factors in the Bruins' quest to repeat as champions, and this is a challenge he's ready to take on.

All quotes obtained firsthand

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.