The Boston Bruins have won three straight games for the first time in more than a month.
The B’s left Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay with two points after a 4-3 win over the Lightning on Tuesday night. Boston overcame a 1-0 second-period deficit to score four goals for the third consecutive game.
The Bruins maintain a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and improve to 26-21-6 with the victory, while the Lightning drop to 22-23-6.
Here’s how it all went down.
CAPTAIN OUT
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos did not play against the Bruins. The superstar center hasn’t played since November because of a lateral meniscus tear.
DROPPIN’ THE GLOVES
Bruins forward Jimmy Hayes and Lightning forward Alex Killorn settled their differences with a first-period fight. It wasn’t the most entertaining bout, but both players got in a few punches.
SO, SO CLOSE
Killorn nearly scored for the Lightning in the first period, but Bruins defenseman Colin Miller was able to clear the puck just centimeters before it fully crossed the goal line.
The score was tied 0-0 at the end of 20 minutes. The Lightning led 8-4 in shots on goal, but they tallied zero shots on their only power play of the period. The B’s entered Tuesday with the second-best penalty kill percentage in the league.
LIGHTNING STRIKE
Tampa Bay’s aggressive forecheck was rewarded in the second period when Killorn scored the game’s first goal.
BRUINS TAKE THE LEAD
The Bruins got on the board at 18:08 of the second period when Patrice Bergeron deflected an Adam McQuaid shot through Lightning goalie Ben Bishop and into the net.
And then David Krejci beat the buzzer at the end of the period with a fantastic shot that beat Bishop up high. The puck crossed the goal line with less than a second remaining.
Brad Marchand tallied assists on both goals for his third straight multi-point game. The Bruins also outshot the Lightning 16-4 in the second frame.
GOAL NO. 2
It didn’t take long for the Lightning to tie the score. Killorn scored his second goal of the game 4:46 into the third period.
CHARA BLAST
Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara broke a 2-2 tie at 7:51 of the third period with an absolute rocket from the top of the faceoff circle that beat Bishop. It was the fourth goal of the season for Boston’s captain.
ADDING INSURANCE
The Bruins doubled their lead to 4-2 with a power-play goal by Frank Vatrano at 12:23 of the third period. Krejci and Miller tallied assists on the goal, giving both of them multi-point games (Miller’s first multi-point game of the season, too).
Vatrano is starting to round into form after missing a good chunk of the season because of an injury.
COMEBACK FAILED
Lightning center Brayden Point scored with 2:04 remaining in regulation to trim the Bruins’ lead to 4-3, but Boston held on for the rest of the game to secure the victory.
UP NEXT
The Bruins are back on the ice Wednesday night in Washington for a matchup with the Capitals. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
