Spitballin’ (or Super Pass It To Bulis: All In, if you love adventurous acronymizing) is a feature that allows us to touch on a multitude of things really fast, because in the world of hockey, there are always lots of things to find and colour. Here are a few quick topics.

In a series that was initially billed to be a goaltender’s duel, there sure have been a lot of goals scored in the Eastern Conference Final. With Dwayne Roloson and Tim Thomas showcasing styles about as far removed from your standard butterfly goaltender as you can get, the Bruins and Bolts have seemingly taken this as a cue to play 80′s-style hockey. 41 goals have been scored in their 6-game series. 41!

Wednesday’s spirited affair saw the Bruins fall just short of a stunning comeback, as the Tampa Bay Lightning forced a Game 7 back in Boston. This means the Canucks will need to wait for the results of tonight’s match-up to see who their Stanley Cup Final opponent will be.

But which team would be a better opponent for the Canucks to face? PITB investigates, in another segment of This Guy or This Guy.

Almost every playoff-bound team makes minor moves and trades throughout the season, with the most significant usually made in the time leading up to the trade deadline. Each time looks to add that one missing piece that will push the team over the top. Each of the four teams remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs made some significant mid-season moves that have helped carry the team to this point in the playoffs, but which GM improved their team the most?

Every now and then we at PITB like to take a step back and just post some statistics. This is one of those times. Read them quickly before they’re outdated.

* Maxim Lapierre is the current playoff leader in hits with a Wellwood-approved and Adams-certified 42. His closest competitor who is actually still competing in the playoffs is Shane O’Brien with 38, but immediately behind him are Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler, and Ryan Kesler with 37, 36, and 35 hits respectively. That means 4 of the top 6 hitters this postseason are Canucks. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Canucks are leading the playoffs in total hits with a whopping 385 hits in 11 games. That’s 95 more than the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are second in that statistic. They have more hits than Martin Q. Blank. They have so many hits they’re thinking of buying The Hit Factory and re-opening it. For a month after playing the Canucks, their opponent’s favorite song is “It’s a Hit” by We Are Scientists. It’s especially impressive because the Canucks were 20th in the league in hits during the regular season. They have stepped it up in a big way for the playoffs.

Canucks 4 – 5 Lightning (OT)   So I don’t think the Tampa Bay Lightning realize they were supposed to treat this game like a ceremonial faceoff: show up, smile for a photo, then stand back while Henrik Sedin picks up the puck and hands it to the Queen. It should have been fairly simple. [...]