Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Bruins edge Lightning 1-0 in incredible Game 7

Tampa Bay Lightning v Boston Bruins - Game Seven

BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Dwayne Roloson #35 of the Tampa Bay Lightning congratulates Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins after the Bruins defeated the Lightening 1 to 0 in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 27, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Getty Images

From Apr. 1-10, ProHockeyTalk will be counting down the Top 10 moments from the 2011 postseason.

Here’s No. 3 — Boston and Tampa Bay lock horns in an incredible Eastern Conference finals Game 7 only to see Tim Thomas’ Bruins shut out Dwayne Roloson’s Lightning 1-0 to move on to the Stanley Cup finals in perhaps the best game of the entire playoffs.

Sometimes all it takes to decide a game is one shot. In the case of the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning, it was one goal that would decide their incredible Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals.

Unfortunately for Tampa’s Dwayne Roloson, that goal would come off the stick of Bruins forward Nathan Horton with under eight minutes to play in the game. The Bruins were already winners of one Game 7 series in the playoffs (vs. Montreal) and with Tim Thomas in goal playing out of his mind, Horton’s tally is all they would need and it’s one Roloson and the Lightning defense would still like to have back.

One quick pass from David Krejci to a cutting Horton is all it would take to send the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup finals since the 80s and on to their first Stanley Cup championship since the 1970s.

Roloson stopped 37 of 38 shots while Thomas stopped all 24 shots he saw as he also defeated former University of Vermont teammate Martin St. Louis in what was perhaps the best game of the entire 2011 playoffs.

More:

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Burrows buries Blackhawks

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Philly stays alive

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Roloson turns back the clock…and the Penguins

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Preds win! Preds win!

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Horton beats the Habs

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Sharks clip Wings

Top 10 2011 Playoff Moments: Sharks overcome 4-0 deficit to stun Kings