Dwayne Roloson will be back in net for Game 6.
Lightning coach Guy Boucher said Tuesday that Roloson, not Mike Smith, will be Tampa Bay's starting goalie for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, Versus, CBC, RDS).
"(Roloson) was the guy that took us here, and that's how I felt before last game," Boucher told reporters. "But I felt like it was time to give him a little breather (for Game 5)."
After pulling Roloson with 2:02 left in the first period of Game 4 -- after the 41-year-old veteran allowed three goals on nine shots -- Smith came on and stopped all 21 shots he faced as the Lightning rallied for a 5-3 win.
That earned Smith the surprise start for Game 5. He stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced, but the Lightning lost 3-1. With the victory, the Bruins claimed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Roloson has a 2.51 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 15 playoff games, but he's been pulled twice now in four games against the Bruins.
However on Tuesday, Boucher gave Roloson a ringing endorsement, signaling that he's still Tampa Bay's go-to-guy.
"He's one of the hardest working guys on our team," Boucher said. "He puts in a lot of hours and a lot of time. And he's like everybody else -- at some point or another he just needs to breathe a little bit."
Boucher said by having Roloson sit for an entire game, it puts the Lightning in very good position to make a comeback and force a Game 7.
"This is a perfect situation," Boucher said. "(Roloson's) going to be the only rested guy on the two teams."