In a nail-biter reminiscent of Game 7 of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 in overtime Tuesday night to move into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Brad Marchand provided the game’s only goal, scoring just 10 seconds into the extra session, as the Bruins swept their two-game Florida road trip. Boston now has taken nine of a possible 10 points from its first five games following the NHL trade deadline.
Bruins backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson turned in his best performance yet in the win, stopping every shot he faced and finishing with a career-high 42 saves.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Patrice Bergeron won the opening faceoff of overtime, and the puck found its way to Marchand, who beat goalie Ben Bishop for his team-leading 34th goal of the season. Bergeron and Torey Krug were credited with assists.
Boston’s top line of Marchand, Bergeron and Lee Stempniak has combined for 19 points in the five games since Stempniak’s trade-deadline arrival.
EARLY ZEROS
Neither team found the back of the net during a physical first period. Marchand generated the best scoring chance of the frame but was denied by Bishop on a shorthanded breakaway bid.
Boston College products Jimmy Hayes and Brian Boyle picked up matching roughing minors for their roles in a minor scrap in front of the benches, and Jonathan Marchessault accosted John-Michael Liles after Liles dropped Nikita Kucherov with a borderline high hit.
The Bruins defenseman was not penalized for the hit, and although Kucherov exited down to the locker room, he was back on the bench when the second period began.
Boston outshot Tampa Bay 11-8 in the first.
GOALIES STAND TALL
Gustavsson was dialed in for his eighth start of 2016. After Bishop made the signature save of the first period, the Bruins goalie followed with several impressive stops early in the second to keep the Lightning off the board.
Both goalies carried shutouts into the third period, though Loui Eriksson and Jimmy Hayes both came very close to opening the scoring in the final minute of the second.
Boston killed off two Tampa Bay power plays during the middle frame — and four in the game — and defenseman Adam McQuaid provided the bulk of the physicality, seeming to deliver a crushing hit on each shift he skated.
CRUNCH TIME
The Lightning outshot the Bruins 11-2 over the first 10 minutes of the third period, then went on the man advantage when David Pastrnak was penalized for chipping the puck over the glass. Boston again killed the penalty, with Gustavsson surpassing his career high for saves in the process.
Eriksson and David Krejci teamed up to generate a chance for the Bruins with less than four minutes remaining, but Bishop turned it aside. That trend continued for the remainder of regulation, as the B’s got several more good looks in the offensive zone but couldn’t solve the towering Tampa Bay netminder.
LINEUP NOTES
Defenseman Joe Morrow returned to the Bruins’ lineup for the first time since before last Monday’s trade deadline. Zach Trotman sat out as a healthy scratch for the ninth time in 10 games.
UP NEXT
The Bruins return home for games against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and the New York Islanders on Saturday. Then, they’ll hit the West Coast, visiting the San Jose Sharks next Tuesday to begin a four-game road trip.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
