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Roloson in for Game 6

By Emily Kaplan - NHL.com Staff Writer

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Roloson in for Game 6
After watching Mike Smith get the start in Tampa Bay's Game 5 loss, Dwayne Roloson will be back in net for Game 6 at the St. Pete Times Forum.
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."

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