Third Period, 19:14, Lightning 5-4: The Bruins use their timeout with a faceoff in the Tampa zone coming. This might be there last chance to get the tying goal here.
Third Period, 18:46, Lightning 5-4: Thomas has been pulled for the extra attacker as the Bruins try desperately to get the equalizer here.
Third Period, 15:48, Lightning 5-4: Brad Marchand is helped to the bench, then heads to the runway. Not clear if it was an injury or an equipment issue, but the Bruins certainly can't afford to lose him.
Third Period, 13:28, Lightning 5-4: The Bruins pull back within one goal again as David Krejci completes the hat trick.
Milan Lucic sent in the initial bid from the left side and Krejci eventually got it just over the line at the near left post.
Third Period, 10:15, Lightning 5-3: The Lightning answer right back as Martin St. Louis finishes a 2 on 1 from Steve Downie to extend the lead back to two goals.
Third Period, 9:46, Lightning 4-3: The Bruins have some life yet, as David Krejci scores his second of the night.
Boston finally converts on a power play, with Krejci tapping in a feed from Nathan Horton.
Third Period, 8:12, Lightning 4-2: The Bruins survive that penalty as Vincent Lecavalier is called for hooking Andrew Ference to end the advantage. It will be 4 on 4 for 46 seconds, then the Bruins go on a power play of their own.
Third Period, 6:58, Lightning 4-2: The Bruins continue to self-destruct, as Tomas Kaberle is called for a needless interference penalty on Ryan Malone behind the Boston net. The Lightning, already 3 for 3 on the power play, get another chance with the man-advantage.
Third Period, 4:32, Lightning 4-2: The Bruins are starting to generate some pressure, but Tampa is sitting back and collapsing in the defensive zone to smother any chances as the Lightning look to protect this lead.
Third Period, 0:34, Lightning 4-2: The Lightning strike yet again on the power play, with Steven Stamkos scoring to extend the lead to two goals.
Stamkos one-timed a blast from the left circle from Eric Brewer as Tampa is now 3 for 3 on the man-advantage in this one.
Third Period, 0:00, Lightning 3-2: The final frame is under way here in Tampa, with the Bruins needing at least two goals to end this series and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
It won't be easy though, as the Lightning are 7-0 in the playoffs when leading after two periods, while the Bruins are 0-4 when trailing after two this postseason.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins will have to dig deep to pull this one out and avoid a seventh game back in Boston. Tampa took over completely in the second after Boston controlled play for much of the opening period.
The Lightning had a 13-6 edge in shots for the period (17-14 overall) and scored on two of them. Both came on the power play, as special teams has again been the difference in this one. The Bruins are 0 for 4 on the power play, while Tampa is 2-2 with 1:06 left on Andrew Ference's cross-checking penalty to begin the third.
Tampa is also dominating the physical game, outhitting the Bruins 19-7. The Bruins were back on their heels and appeared flustered at times in that period. They need to settle things down, regroup and come out with one of their best periods yet if they want to avoid facing elimination themselves in a Game 7 back at the Garden.
End Second Period, Lightning 3-2: Tampa turned the game around completely in the second period, scoring twice to take a one-goal lead into the third period as they try to stay alive in this series.
Second Period, 19:05, Lightning 3-2: The Bruins are shorthanded yet again, as Andrew Ference gets the only penalty for cross-checking out of a wild scrum in front after another Thomas stop.
Second Period, 18:49, Lightning 3-2: The Bruins dodge a couple bullets, as Milan Lucic gets away with an apparent trip, then Steven Stamkos fires a rocket that Thomas just tips over the net.
Second Period, 16:55, Lightning 3-2: The Bruins nearly get the equalizer, but Brad Marchand clangs iron with a shot from right circle.
Second Period, 13:35, Lightning 3-2: After a strong start to the penalty kill, the Lightning convert late in the penalty as Teddy Purcell puts Tampa back ahead.
Steve Downie sent a pass from the slot to Purcell in the left circle, and he snuck a quick shot past Thomas.
Second Period, 11:52, 2-2: The Bruins are shorthanded again, as Rich Peverley gets called for interference on a play in the Tampa zone.
Second Period, 10:03, 2-2: The Bruins can't do much with that chance either, as the sides are back at even strength after another ineffective Bruins power play.
Second Period, 8:03, 2-2: The Bruins now get another power-play chance of their own as Eric Brewer is sent off for interference.
Second Period, 7:55, 2-2: The Lightning don't need long to convert that chance, as Martin St. Louis ties the game again.
Thomas made the first two saves, but the Bruins couldn't clear the puck and St. Louis popped home the third chance with a backhander from the top of the crease.
Second Period, 7:39, Bruins 2-1: The Lightning get their first power play of the night as Dennis Seidenberg is called for cross-checking.
Second Period, 6:40, Bruins 2-1: The Lightning had picked up some steam with several quality chances, but a strong shift by the Krejci line gives the Bruins the momentum back.
Second Period, 3:52, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins don't look nearly as sharp on that power-play effort, and are now 0 for 3 on the man-advantage in this one.
Second Period, 1:52, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins will get another power play as Victor Hedman is sent off for two minutes for a high-stick on Tyler Seguin.
Second Period, 0:25, Bruins 2-1: The Lightning threaten early in the second as Ryan Malone crashes the net and knocks over Thomas, who still makes the save. Steven Stamkos has an open net for the rebound, but fires wide.
Second Period, 0:00, Bruins 2-1: The middle frame is under way here in Tampa, where the Bruins are looking to build on their one-goal lead from the first and the Lightning are looking for their first shot in 12:31 and counting.
First Intermission Notes: Tim Thomas gave up a goal on the first shot he faced for the second straight game, but the Bruins once again didn't fold. And unlike Game 5, when they survived the first only thanks to Thomas' stellar play, this time they rallied quickly. Boston took over the rest of the way in the first and was rewarded with a pair of goals for a 2-1 lead.
Thomas didn't have much work in this one, as the Bruins outshot Tampa 8-4 in the first. the Lightning did not have a shot on goal for the final 12:31 of the period after a Marc-Andre Bergeron wrister.
The Bruins' first line has paced the offense, with Milan Lucic and David Krejci each beating Dwayne Roloson with wicked wristers inside the top right corner. Lucic leads the Bruins with three shots, while Nathan Horton has two hits and an assist.
The power play looked much better with Zdeno Chara parked in front, but still came up empty on two opportunities. The Lightning haven't had a chance with the man-advantage yet, which will surely fuel Guy Boucher's thoughts of referee Eric Furlatt's bias against the Lightning. One area the Bruins do need to improve is on faceoffs, where they are just 7-11 (39 percent). Patrice Bergeron is just 1-5 so far. Chris Kelly is 3-2, but one of his losses led directly to Tampa's lone goal.
End First Period, Bruins 2-1: The first 20 minutes are in the books, and after a shaky start, the Bruins turned in a strong road period and take a one-goal lead into the first intermission.
First Period, 16:30, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins strike again to pull ahead for the first time in this game, with David Krejci getting the goal.
With the lines still jumbled after the power play, Daniel Paille was out with Krejci, and dropped him a pass from the left boards. Krejci took it and fired in a shot from the high left slot inside the far top corner.
First Period, 15:17, 1-1: The Bruins created some chances with the first power-play unit featuring Chara in front once again, but the second unit struggled to even get into the zone as the Lightning kill off another penalty.
First Period, 13:17, 1-1: The Bruins will get another power play as Eric Brewer goes off for tripping up Lucic.
Prior to that, the Bruins nearly scored when Seguin, playing on the fourth lie, beat Roloson to a dump-in and centered it out front, but just missed connecting. Nice hustle play by Seguin to create a threat.
First Period, 11:56, 1-1: The Bruins had Rich Peverley up on the third line in Tyler Seguin's spot alongside Chris Kelly and Michael Ryder on that last shift.
Peverley played with that unit for much of the second half of Game 5 and it appears Julien will continue to get the versatile forward some extra shifts instead of using him strictly as a fourth-liner and penalty killer.
First Period, 9:49, 1-1: The Lightning use their timeout after an icing call as Guy Boucher tries to settle his troops with the Bruins surging here.
First Period, 9:36, 1-1: The Bruins had excellent pressure on that power play, keeping the puck in the Tampa zone for almost the full two minutes and creating several scoring chances, but they can't get the go-ahead goal.
Claude Julien used Zdeno Chara in front with Krejci and Horton, with Dennis Seidenberg and Tomas Kaberle at the points.
First Period, 7:36, 1-1: The Bruins now get the game's first power play, as Ryan Malone is sent to the box for tripping.
First Period, 7:09, 1-1: The Bruins answer back, as Milan Lucic scores to tie it at 1-1.
Lucic took a pass from the right boards from Nathan Horton just outside the blue line, barreled down the middle and picked the corner with a perfectly-placed shot high to the right side of the net past Dwayne Roloson.
First Period, 4:33, Lightning 1-0: The Bruins have responded better to Tampa's early goal in this game than they did on Monday, as they have started to create chances in reponse and lead the shot count 3-1, but still trail 1-0.
First Period, 0:36, Lightning 1-0: The Lightning strike again on their first shot of the game, this time with Teddy Purcell scoring in the opening minute.
After David Krejci was tossed from the faceoff, Vincent Lecavalier won the draw cleanly from Chris Kelly back to Purcell at the top of the right circle, and Purcell snapped in a quick shot through a screen in front of Tim Thomas.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: The pre-game festivities are finished, the anthem has been sung and the crowd is on it feet.
Game 6 is under way here at the St. Pete Times Forum, where the Bruins will look to close out this series and earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals and the Lightning will try to extend their season at least one more game.
8 p.m.: The Bruins will open with their usual starting line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi up front, with Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference on defense and Tim Thomas in goal.
The Lightning with counter with Adam Hall, Nate Thompson and Martin St. Louis up front, Victor Hedman and Brett Clark on the blue line and Dwayne Roloson in net.
7:55 p.m.: Sean Bergenheim is officially out for the Lightning, along with Randy Jones, Pavel Kubina, Mattias Ritola, Mathieu Roy and Matt Smaby. Dana Tyrell is in for Bergenheim.
The Bruins scratch Shawn Thornton, Steve Kampfer, Shane Hnidy and the Black Aces and will have the same lineup they've been using.
7:45 p.m.: There were no changes in the Bruins lines during the drills in warm-ups. Shawn Thornton and Steven Kampfer were on the ice, but did not participate in the drills. They will likely be the healthy scratches again, along with Shane Hnidy, who did not skate in warm-ups for the first time this postseason.
Here are the full line combinations from the warm-up:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi
Ryder-Kelly-Seguin
Paille-Campbell-Peverley
Defense pairs:
Chara-Seidenberg
Kaberle-McQuaid
Ference-Boychuk
7:40 p.m.: Sean Bergenheim is not on the ice for the Lightning in warm-ups. It looks like Tampa's leading goal-scorer in the playoffs will indeed be out after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 5.
Forward Dana Tyrell and defenseman Randy Jones are both on the ice. Either could replace Bergenheim, depending on whether Guy Boucher opts to go with the standard 12 forwards and six defensemen or 11 forwards and seven blueliners.
7:30 p.m.: There's no mystery with the goaltending matchup for this one. Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson lead out their teams for the warm-up. That's the goaltending duel for this one here in Tampa.
7:15 p.m.: Have a question about the Bruins' performance in Game 6? NESN analyst Andy Brickley will be answering one question from a Bruins fan during the second intermission of the game.
Submit your question here and check back on NESN.com to see if yours was selected.
6:15 p.m.: In just under two hours, the Bruins will get their first shot at eliminating the Lightning and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 21 years.
They'll have to get by Dwayne Roloson first, as the veteran will be back in net for Tampa in Game 6 after Mike Smith got the start in Game 5. The Bruins may not have to deal with Lightning leading playoff goal-scorer Sean Bergenheim though, as he will be a game-time decision with a lower-body injury suffered on Monday. The Lightning, meanwhile, seem equally concerned about the officials for this game as they are about the Bruins.
The Bruins are looking to learn from their past failures, particularly their inability to close out Montreal in Game 6 in a similar scenario in the first round.
8 a.m: The Bruins are just one win away from punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.
And they'll get two cracks at getting that final win, though they hope it will just take one as they head back to Tampa for Game 6 at the St. Pete Times Forum on Wednesday.
"This is the position you want to be in obviously, up in the series," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "And we've got two games here to win one. Our goal right now is not to play Game 7. And I know their goal is to create a Game 7. So there's the difference between the two teams."
The Bruins took a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference final by once again showing their character and resiliency. They bounced back from Saturday's collapse in Game 4, when they blew a 3-0 lead in a 5-3 loss to even the series, and overcame an early 1-0 deficit to do it as the Lightning struck on their first shot of Game 5 on Monday.
The Bruins answered with second-period goals by Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand, and a last-minute empty-netter by Rich Peverley to pull out a 3-1 victory and pull within one win of the Cup Finals. But the Bruins aren't looking ahead to that final round just yet.
"It's an unbelievable feeling, but we're still a long ways away," Marchand said. "That one game could take forever to get here. So we have to make sure that we kind of let this go and we bring the emotion from this game into the next one. It's a great feeling, but we have to keep it out of our heads because we still have another big win to get."
Linemate Patrice Bergeron, who set up Marchand's game-winner, is also taking the cautious approach, knowing that this Lightning team is also a resilient bunch that's more than capable of dashing the Bruins' Cup dreams.
"We're happy with [Monday's win], but it's not [over]," Bergeron said. "You haven't accomplished anything with a 3-2 lead. Obviously we need that fourth win and it's the toughest one to get. We know they're not going to quit and for us it's about finding a way."
The Bruins found a way to win despite not putting together their best effort on Monday. Now they'll need to play even better to get that elusive final win of the series.
The puck drops at 8 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action from Tampa.
