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Bruins vs. Maple Leafs Game 5 Preview: Handshake line, please

Claus Andersen

Just the Facts

Game Time: 7:00 PM, Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ONT. TV Broadcast: NHL-Network, NESN, CBC, RDS. Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Records: Bruins 3, Leafs 1.

The Other Side's SB Nation Site: Pension Plan Puppets

Get Tickets here: Boston Bruins Tickets

Leafs projected lines:

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Kulemin
Komarov - Grabovski - Frattin
Hamilton - McClement - Orr

Phaneuf - Gunnarsson
Liles - Franson
Gardiner - O'Byrne

REIMER

Bruins projected lines:

Marchand - Bergeron - Seguin
Lucic - Krejci - Horton
Peverley - Kelly - Jagr
Paille - Campbell - Thornton

Chara - Seidenberg
McQuaid - Redden (Bartkowski?)
Ference - Boychuk

Rask

Preview:

Go read this. Then come back here. All done? Cool.

We helped kill the Battle of Ontario. I love it. Things look a little brighter today.

No matter what happens tonight -- whether the Bruins take the series in five, or Toronto forces a sixth game at the ACC, the fact of the matter is that the Maple Leafs aren't a team the Bruins can roll over anymore. If the Bruins win tonight, it's a series win to be proud of. Their top line is dangerous, their defense so much more effective than it used to be, and their goaltending way above average. Moving forward, they're going to inevitably add pieces that make them even tougher to beat.

We should welcome it. A rivalry's more bitter, more thrilling when the teams are more evenly matched. Just look at the Habs the last ten years.

Aside from Matt Bartkowski possibly slotting in for Wade Redden, Boston's lines are the same; on Toronto's side, they're down a defenseman as well, as Mark Fraser was taken to the hospital during game four after taking a Milan Lucic slapshot to the forehead. (Ow). John-Michael Liles will likely be taking his place.

We could see a handshake line tonight.

I really want to see a handshake line tonight.