Pre-Game Playoff Notes (Pittsburgh VS Tampa Bay - GAME 1, ROUND 1)

LINE COMBINATIONS (projected by this morning's skate)

Neal-Letestu-Kovalev
Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy
Dupuis-Talbot-Conner
Rupp-Adams-Asham
Comrie-Crosby-Godard
(Tangradi)

WELL-RESTED AND READY TO PLAY!
A few players return to the lineup tonight for Game 1 against the Bolts who took yesterday to get rested (Staal, Kunitz, Martin) including James Neal who hurt his hand / wrist in the Islanders game on April 8th; this will be his FIRST NHL playoff game!!

MY [semi-bold] PREDICTIONS:

• TONIGHT, the Pens are going to come out with guns blazing (they may fizzle a little in the second and third, as usual, but NOT AS MUCH as usual - they are "playoff ready" after playing in the post-season for the past several years unlike Tampa Bay);
• Staal will step it up and play his heart out as will Fleury (continuing his brilliance) and there will be goals from Neal and "Z," if not tonight then sometime IN THIS ROUND ...
• Stamkos and Lecavalier won't be as big of a factor as St. Louis (this is Stamkos' first "go" in playoff hockey, so he might even "tucker out" the longer the series goes); I think the team preparing as if Crosby were playing (or will return) in this series is somewhat of a mistake and will throw them off a bit especially since they haven't made a playoff appearance since 2007 (and they'll need time to get their legs under them simply for that reason)
• THE PENS WILL WIN IT IN 6

TAMPA BAY LINE / INJURY INFO (basically a healthy team):
Randy Jones (D), ankle - indefinitely
Victor Hedman (D), lower-body - day-to-day (this was from reports a few days ago)
Dwayne Roloson (projected to start in net)