Halloween was more treat than trick for the Boston Bruins, who raced past the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday to remain unbeaten away from TD Garden.
The 3-1 victory was Boston’s sixth in its last seven games (the only exception being an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers) and vaulted the Bruins into second place in the Atlantic Division.
Claude Julien’s squad will face another tough test Tuesday, when old friend Tyler Seguin and the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars come to town. But first, let’s spin through some notes from Saturday’s win.
— Backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson made 21 saves to remain perfect in his young Bruins career. The 30-year-old veteran has been tremendous in relief of Tuukka Rask this season, posting a 3-0-0 record and allowing just six total goals.
Gustavsson also helped hold the Lightning scoreless on four of their five power-play opportunities, with Nikita Kucherov providing the only scoring for the home team.
“He got tested,” Julien told reporters after the game, via BostonBruins.com. “… He made some real big saves. And even at the end, when they pushed hard, he made himself big and gave us a real good win here.”
— David Krejci saw his point streak end at nine games. He and Loui Eriksson both had an off night for the B’s, failing to record a point and combining for just two shots (both by Krejci).
— David Pastrnak (7:41 of ice time) Ryan Spooner (10:40; 6:58 at even strength) both played sparingly after being dropped to the fourth line mid-game. Spooner finished with three shots on goal, while Pastrnak failed to record one.
“Both teams there in that third (period) were basically playing with three lines,” Julien told reporters, “but it was just more about trying to balance experience against experience to give us a better chance to win.”
— Joonas Kemppainenn returned to the lineup after missing Friday’s game with an undisclosed injury. With Kemppainen back in action, Tyler Randell was a healthy scratch for the first time since Oct. 12 against, coincidentally, the Lightning.
Zach Trotman also was scratched from the lineup for a ninth consecutive game. The 25-year-old defenseman has not seen action since Boston’s season opener.
— Brad Marchand will not face supplemental discipline for his hit Friday night on Florida Panthers defenseman Dimitry Kulikov, a source told CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty. The hit, which broke Kulikov’s nose, resulted in a five-minute major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct.
Marchand tallied a goal and an assist Saturday night — his third consecutive two-point game.
Thumbnail photo via Jonathan Dyer/USA TODAY Sports Images
