Promise I won't mention 2013 in this one.



What this series will come down to, in my opinion, is the battle between the stars. And Boston's top line of Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak probably doesn't get enough credit for how good they are.



They can score. They can defend. They draw penalties. They cycle down low, win faceoffs, play on both special teams and drive other teams crazy.



They also present a huge challenge to a Maple Leafs blueline that isn't super well-equipped to counter that kind of attack. I'm already picturing Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev and Roman Polak clomping around, chasing them (and the puck) to little effect. I also imagine Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy repeatedly targeting that right side of the D zone with chips and dump-ins.



Hainsey was on the ice for 31 minutes against the Bruins' top line this season and had a less than 41 per cent possession mark. Zaitsev spent 19 minutes and was at around 46 per cent.



Polak? He was...