The Bruins have a 1-0 lead over the Lighting in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and boy, did they earn it.
Boston pulled out a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoff series on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman made things interesting in the third, but the B’s clung to their lead, taking Game 1 of the series in the process.
Jaroslav Halak pushed away 35 of 37 attempts while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 of 31 shots.
Zdeno Chara, meanwhile, is in sole possession of second place in the Bruins’ all-time postseason games list.
Here’s how it all went down:
B’S FIND EARLY(ISH) EDGE
The first period was tight, but the Bruins managed to find a slight edge.
Tampa Bay found itself on the power play early due to a cross-checking call on Zdeno Chara, but Boston managed to make the kill. The B’s saw their own man-advantage midway through the period but struggled in the neutral zone throughout the two-minute penalty.
Both squads saw a couple of nice shots late in the period, but it was Boston that found the back of the net first. Weymouth, Mass., native Charlie Coyle potted the game’s first goal of the game with 1:08 left in the frame, giving the B’s a one-goal lead in the process.
Boston outshot Tampa 15-10 in the period.
BOSTON BOLSTERS LEAD
It didn’t take long for the B’s to pad their lead.
David Pastrnak lit the lamp with less than five minutes into the period. And just like that, the B’s were up 2-0.
Things weren’t all hunky-dory for the B’s in the second, however, with Tampa outshooting Boston 12-2 in the first half of the period. Jake DeBrusk had a couple of good offensive and defensive plays in the second.
The Bolts outshot the B’s 18-7 in the second, though Halak stayed solid in net with 28 stops through 40 minutes. Boston found itself on the power play with 3:14 left in the period, though it failed to extend its lead.
The B’s entered the final frame with a 2-0 lead.
DEAL = SEALED
Boston might have slipped up a bit at the end of the second, but the B’s regained control in the second.
Brad Marchand scored with just 1:17 on the clock, extending Boston’s lead to three.
The Lightning didn’t give up in the third, though, potting their first goal of the game with 11:10 left on Victor Hedman’s first goal of the game.
The Bolts didn’t give up late in the third either, making it a one-goal game on Hedman’s second goal of the game.
But it wouldn’t be enough, with Boston topping Tampa Bay 3-2 on Sunday night.
PLAY OF THE GAME
*insert heart emojis here*
UP NEXT
The Bruins and Lightning will meet for Game 2 of the semifinals series Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
