"It's why they brought him here.

For a night like tonight.

Let's get that straight if Dwayne Roloson, as expected, steps back between the pipes for the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden in Boston for the crucial Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bruins.

A few months back, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman and coach Guy Boucher decided, long before the playoffs were a reality, that Roloson was the guy they needed for any postseason chance.

Dan Ellis wasn't enough. Neither was Mike Smith.

They would roll with Roli -- and they have to roll with him now.

The Lightning wouldn't be anywhere near where they are now, two wins from the Stanley Cup Finals, without their 41-year-old fountain of youth.

Yes, that fountain has sprung a leak or two the past few weeks, getting the hook no less than twice against the Bruins. All 21,000 people at the Forum, including Roloson, know that the third goal he allowed in Game 4, well, that can't go in.

Not that Roloson could stop any of those turnovers or assorted defensive breakdowns. But Boucher put it best when he said, "This isn't about fault, it's about winning."

And that the Lightning did, in amazing fashion, storming back from three goals down to win Game 4, and a lot of it rested on the shoulders of Smith, who stopped everything Boston threw at him after replacing Roloson."