Back to back games are some of the hardest aspects on the NHL schedule. The Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves with 2 of them on this current 4 game road trip. The Bolts played like that throughout the early stages in Boston on Wednesday night. The Lightning fell down 3-0 early in the 2nd period. Tampa Bay tried to salvage a comeback and played their best hockey in the final period. A Steven Stamkos goal early in the 3rd made it just a 1-goal game, but the Boston Bruins were able to clamp down and hold on to the 3-2 victory.
The 1st goal of the game was a bit of a controversial one. Charlie McAvoy fired the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy, but it was immediately called no goal on the ice. The play was then reviewed and the refs determined there was no goaltender interference and a good goal. The top line of Boston continued to outplay the Lightning throughout the remainder of the period. Vasilevskiy had to be the best Lightning player on the ice just to keep his team in the game. Vasy finally collapsed under that constant pressure late in the period. Riley Nash’s 2nd goal of the season doubled the Boston lead heading to the middle period.
The Bolts came out with a better sense of urgency to start the 2nd. That urgency led to some chippy play. Cedric Paquette and Mikhail Sergachev were both involved in separate confrontations with Boston players early in the frame. Those scrums seemed to energize Boston as well. Shortly after the Sergachev confrontation, the Bruins struck again. Torey Krug’s 4th goal of the year put his team in front right at the 6-minute mark. The Bolts didn’t manage a shot on goal till after the 8-minute mark, but shortly after that they were able to get on the board. It came from an unlikely source as Andrej Sustr scored his 1st goal of the season on his 27th birthday. The Lightning had multiple chances to draw even closer late in the 2nd. Tyler Johnson looked to have made it a 1-goal game, but upon further review the puck hit the inside post and came back out to keep it at a 2-goal deficit heading to the 3rd.
The Bolts got a golden opportunity when Brandon Carlo was called for interference less than a minute into the period. Tampa Bay took advantage. Nikita Kucherov fed Steven Stamkos on the power play and the captain cashed in. That goal extended Stamkos’ league lead in power play goals and cut the deficit to just 1. The Lightning pressed for the remainder of the period to try and salvage at least a point out of the game, but Rask and the defense held on to give Boston the 3-2 victory.
The Lightning will have a few days off before returning home from this 4-game road trip. The Bolts welcome the San Jose Sharks to Amalie Arena on Saturday night. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 pm on Star Wars night. Pregame coverage begins at 6 pm on our sister station News Radio 970 WFLA.
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
1. BOS - McAvoy - (Pastrnak, Marchand) - 7:27
2. BOS - Nash - (Heinen, Marchand) - 17:13
2ND PERIOD
1. BOS - Krug - (Spooner, McAvoy) - 5:59
2. TBL - Sustr - (Coburn, Kunitz) - 10:53
3RD PERIOD
1. TBL - PPG - Stamkos - (Kucherov, Sergachev) - 2:10
PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
1. TBL - Kunitz - (Tripping) - 4:01
2. BOS - Marchand - (Slashing) - 4:24
2ND PERIOD
1. TBL - Paquette - (Boarding) - 2:26
2. TBL - Paquette - (Roughing) - 2:26
3. BOS - Vatrano - (Tripping) - 2:26
4. BOS - Vatrano - (Roughing) - 2:26
5. TBL - Sergachev - (Interference) - 4:22
6. BOS - Marchand - (Embellishment) - 4:22
7. TBL - Girardi - (Tripping) - 13:25
3RD PERIOD
1. BOS - Carlo - (Interference) - 0:46
SHOTS ON GOAL
Tampa Bay - 21
Boston - 36