2011 NHL Playoffs: Tyler Seguin Must Play for Boston Bruins to Beat Canadiens

The Boston Bruins are going into the Bell Centre Monday night with the possibility of going down 0-3 in the Eastern conference quarterfinals to their most hated rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. 

The Bruins have looked nothing like the team that won the Northeast division this season, and lost both games to the Canadiens at home to open the playoffs.

To save their season, the Bruins need to make some serious changes to their offense. 

First and foremost, rookie forward Tyler Seguin needs to play, and play significant minutes. 

Bruins head coach Claude Julien has not been playing Seguin in big games since the start of the calendar year, and hasn’t played the rookie at all in the first two games against Montreal. 

Seguin is arguably the Bruins' most offensively skilled player.

He has an excellent shot, good awareness on the ice and his speed can turn any play into a goal-scoring opportunity. 

In the past, Julien has not given significant time to rookies, but right now he has no choice. 

Against a Montreal team that has speed and intelligence, Seguin’s quickness could inject some life into a Bruins attack that has been dormant through the first two games. 

Top forwards Nathan Horton, David Kejci and Milan Lucic have been abysmal in the series. They're not playing with the normal passion and aggression that made the top line so successful in the regular season. 

With Michael Ryder giving the Bruins nothing on the wing, Seguin should take over for the former sniper in Game 3. 

Seguin’s offensive talents are well-known. Anyone who has watched a shootout this Bruins season has likely seen an unbelievable goal from the young gun.

I understand those goals were in a shootout, but the same skills he displays in one-on-one battles with the opposing goaltender can be used in a real game as well. 

He has great stick handling skills, and his speed causes major problems for goalies and defenseman. 

In a series in which the Bruins have been so weak offensively—scoring just one goal in 120 minutes of play—Seguin would give them a new dimension during even strength and especially the power play. 

The Canadiens have played well, but they haven’t “stolen” a game from Boston, and they have not dominated the Bruins for entire periods at a time. 

Boston is just playing out of character and without energy. It’s been a lackluster effort so far, and changes need to be made.

Montreal has not had many scoring chances, but the ones they've had have been taken advantage of. This is the difference in the series.

When you have a great goaltender like Montreal does in Carey Price, you can afford to be laid back and have the confidence you'll be successful if you capitalize on at least one of your rare scoring chances.

The Bruins are too good to be upset in the first round. Seguin is the future of the team, and the Bruins are Stanley Cup contenders this season. 

Julien needs to add a twist to the series and give his team some younger, fresher energy. 

There’s no need to wait. 

Seguin is the future, and the future is now.