"No one would second guess Guy Boucher if he went with the hot hand tonight in Boston and started Mike Smith in goal. Smith was sensational in relief of Dwayne Roloson during Saturday's 5-3 win. You can make a powerful argument for Smith to get the nod against the Bruins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final.

But Roloson almost certainly will start, and there is no disagreement about that in the only place that really counts – inside the Lightning's dressing room. Such is the trust this first-year head coach has earned from his team.

"We have our No. 1 goaltender. He has taken us to this place right now and that's the reason why we're here," Boucher said.

It seems like we've said this more than once this season but it bears repeating. I've rarely seen a team so completely united behind its leader as the Bolts are with Boucher. He coaches without fear or regret, and it is remarkable how well his style has worked.

The Lightning trailed 3-0 after one period Saturday and he had already pulled Roloson from the game. Rolson was playing badly, Boucher insisted (although Boston's third goal was pretty soft).

"We needed to change the game, that's all, change the atmosphere. He was a victim of our turnovers," he said. "It was not his fault, but it's not a question of fault this time of year. It's a question of winning. A change of goaltenders, for some weird reason, in the past – on my teams and against my teams – can have an impact."

The Bolts were in real danger of falling behind three games to one, so you'd think the intermission would be a good time to send Gatorade jugs flying. It was just the opposite, though. Every player I spoke with said Boucher was calm, focused, and affirming.

"It was a good talk. It was a good meeting before the second (period). We said the three goals were mistakes by us that Roli had nothing to do with. Three mistakes, three of them went in," Simon Gagne said. "There was a lot of hockey left to play, almost 40 minutes left."