By Joe Haggerty
CSNNE.com
TAMPA, Fla.Tyler Seguin wont have to worry about whether hes in the starting lineup or notat least for one game, and probably a lot more than that given the seismic impact hes had on the Boston lineup.Twenty-four hours after the 19-year-old rookie electrified the NHL world with a pair of goals and two assists in a second-period outburst that paced the Bruins to a 6-5 win at TD Garden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, coach Claude Julien assured the assembled media at the Embassy Suites hotel here that Seguin will be in the Bs lineup for Game 3 on Thursday night.That doesnt matter who returns and who will be scratched as a result. Seguin has carved out a playoff roster spot with the Bs thats now his to lose."He's in. Seguin will certainly be in the lineup, said Julien of Seguins availability for Game Three. He's earned it.
"You dont pull a guy like that out of your lineup thats been very good. Like I said, hes earned it, he deserves to be in the lineup, and thats what we want to see. We want to see those kind of things happening."Its expected that enforcer Shawn Thornton will be the odd guy out if Patrice Bergeron also returns for Game 3. The majority of questions were again about Seguin and the offensive explosion, which set NHL records for most points by a teenager in a Stanley Cup playoff game, that had him on every major sports program across North America. "Being able to feel comfortable out there, all of a sudden, your skill set really starts to show a lot more. Its about maturing. Its about growing into that," said Julien. "As the year progressed, I think we saw more and more of him getting better at that. These last two games, to me, have been two of his best games for us --and itcouldnt havecome at a better time."
Joe Haggerty can be reached at jhaggerty@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Joe on Twitter at http:twitter.comHackswithHaggs