In front of a sold out TD Garden crowd, the Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 on Friday to clinch the Eastern Conference Championship and advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1990.
Bruins winger Nathan Horton netted the game-winner at 12:27 of the third period, taking a one-time pass from teammate David Krejci and sliding it past Tampa Bay netminder Dwayne Roloson to break the scoreless tie. It is the third game-winning goal this postseason for Horton, who is making his playoff debut.
Tim Thomas stopped 24 shots to record his third career playoff shutout and second shutout of the series.
The Bruins will face the Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks in next week’s final, which begins Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Friday’s dramatic Game 7 win certainly provided some memorable sights for Bruins fans, though, regardless of the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final.
Check out photos of the Bruins Game 7 win over the Lightning by clicking here>>
