The numbers say that the Lightning outshot the Bruins 36-24 in the first game of the series Saturday, but the Bruins came away with a 6-2 victory. Updates with new lead.
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Patrice Bergeron and Rick Nash each lit the lamp twice as the visiting Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 to take the opener of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series on Saturday afternoon.
“I didn’t throw it at anyone”, he said. “I remember we used to get guys who were kind of faint-hearted – as soon as they put on that Bruins sweater, something happens to them”.
The honey badger and his linemates David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron started Game 1 against Tampa Bay just like they did in Game 1 against the Maple Leafs – with a bang.
Specifically, Pastrnak has been having an impressive postseason, as he’s tied with Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel for the most points so far in the playoffs, with 17 through eight games.
The Lightning drew a favourable matchup in the opening round as they faced off against the New Jersey Devils and made very quick work of them to boot, but now they face a rough and rugged Boston side that knows how to win in the playoffs and plays a very different than Tampa’s first round opponent. “So, we can expect more of that”. Not only did the B’s kill the penalty, but Pastrnak stepped out of the box to participate in a rush that led to Rick Nash’s second goal of the game just six seconds after the penalty expired. This has been a well-fought series and one that looked to be over after game two. Charlie McAvoy wound up for a slap shot, and Marchand redirected it past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
For Boston, the objective is clear: even if it’s a rough victory, do what is needed to upset fans at Amalie Arena. “Guys have been in this position before”, center Tyler Johnson said. Unfortunately, it did not stay a one-goal game for long. “It’s the same thing”. Stamkos’ bid was the first salvo in a sustained Lighting presence in the Bruins end that featured some big saves and several near misses.
The Boston Bruins know better than to get complacent after a great win. “They’ve played on Olympic teams, World Cup teams, and every time you look up and Canada is winning, usually Marchand or Bergeron had something to do with it”, Cooper added. The less time you give them, your sticks on their sticks, body on body, all of that can be frustrating.
Nash then put the Bruins up 3-1 with a goal from Pastrnak and Krejci at 12:33 of the second period.
Although no polls were conducted among Bruins players, Tuukka Rask probably should’ve been the most eager to share a dressing room with Nash, and not just because of the offensive support and strong defensive-zone play the 6-foot-4, 211-pound power forward would provide.
“I didn’t like the game we played, that was the main thing”, Gallant said Sunday before he and the Golden Knights left for San Jose. I do not count the first two games because when the offense scores seven it is pretty easy to play well. Is there stuff we can build off this game? On a Bolts power play, a shot ricocheted off the bottom of Tuukka Rask’s skate, dislodging his skate blade in the process.
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The Bruins are 43-18 in the last 61 meetings. “We want frustration to set in and I just feel we didn’t do anything close to that (in Game 1)”.
