Bolts at Bruins

The last time the Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning met on Nov. 20 in Florida, the Bruins coughed up a late, 4-3 lead and returned with only one point instead of two.

Since then, the bounce-back win in Sunrise notwithstanding, the Bruins became an often-shaky and usually up-and-down type of team. Personnel tweaks leveraged somewhat by injuries have ensued, but tonight at TDG the Bruins are back with a lineup that was familiar over the first month of the season when the team was allergic to losses.

A-I image by Daryl Vautour

FIRST PERIOD

The Lightning needed 21 seconds for their great No. 21, Brayden Point, get them on the board after the Tampa forecheck put a video session to work, interrupting a reverse play that Brandon Carlo started under pressure. The puck, meant to reach Hampus Lindholm by way of a short relay, was picked off of Morgan Geekie’s backhand by the great Nikita Kucherov, who centered to Point, 1-0 Lightning.

Nonetheless, the Bruins started well, got their own forecheck going, David Pastrnak leveraged a holding call on Calvin de Haan, and Boston went on the powerplay. Second unit, tail end, Kevin Shattenkirk once again proved a valuable pickup for special teams, flicking the puck from the right point low to Trent Frederic, who turned in the low slot and flipped it over Andrei Vasilevskiy, at 4:42 of the first, 1-1. Lindholm also assisted.

The Bruins got a second man advantage when Brandon Hagel went out for tripping Charlie Coyle – Hagel argued hard that Coyle should have gone for what led to his trip – the Bruins did not convert.

The Lightning got their first powerplay midway through the period when Geekie got caught interfering away from the puck in the attacking zone. Bruins got the kill.

Tanner Jeannot ran Matt Grzelcyk.

Tampa Bay D Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (Norway) ran Trent Frederic near the penalty box, but the Bruins got the zone entry, and Frederic and Martinsen Lilleberg reengaged in front of the Tampa net when Charlie McAvoy screamed a shot from the right point that deflected over Vasilevskiy for a 2-1 Boston lead.

The goal reads McAvoy from Danton Heinen at 14:56.

The Bruins enjoyed a substantial shots advantage midway through the period, but Kucherov and Point put on a show in the second half of the frame, and Linus Ullmark stopped Steven Stamkos clean (among other stops in tight), and the Bruins came out of the period with a 2-1 lead.

Jesper Boqvist, up from Providence (Georgii Merkulov reassigned), got a hard shot at Vasilevskiy in one of the Bruins’ few chances once they’d gone ahead.

Shots after one: 14-12 Tampa Bay, later corrected to 13-12.

SECOND PERIOD

Explosive start to the second period, as Jeannot once again ran over Poitras, this time cutting the Boston rookie. On the play, Frederic scored his second of the game to make it 3-1 at 1:49 of the period, assists to Grzelcyk and Poitras.

Jeannot was not penalized on the play, but coach Jon Cooper was, an unsportsmanlike, two-minute minor for letting his argument get a little too theatrical.

Jeannot, a coveted young potential power forward of the Nashville Predators, was plucked away by the Lightning in their relentless attempt to be bigger and tougher than the rest of the league. Jeannot’s career hasn’t lit the league on fire, but he certainly has a Tom Wilsonesque presence in this game.

There is 1:36 of 4v4 hockey coming with Philippe Myers and Geekie in the box, but it’s a 3-2 game very quickly after Kucherov beat Charlie Coyle clean off the draw, then won the puck from Brandon Carlo in front and made it a one-goal game at 7:53, just 12 seconds after Geekie went o the box.

Pastrnak got it back a half-minute later, leaning on Michael Eyssimont before going top shelf on Vasilevskiy to make it 4-2.

From that point forward, the Lightning went wide open, and the Bruins squandered glorious looks. The best of them, Geekie made a deft maneuver to spring Pastrnak for a 2-on-Vasilevskiy. Somehow, the Bruins managed not to score in the next seven minutes.

Point and Kucherov again teamed up to put on a speed demonstration, this time Point carrying into the zone before trading passes with his elite linemate, Point finishing with 4:07 remaining in the period, 4-3 Bruins.

The two Tampa Bay forwards made Carlo and Lindholm look like they were playing street hockey against skaters. The backcheckers? Hopelessly out of it. The play began when Heinen turned over the puck, getting knocked down inside the Tampa blue line.

Suddenly, Boston’s team defense and goaltending looks as vulnerable as it did on Thursday against Pittsburgh. They lead the game late in the second period, but the TD Garden crowd is hush hush.

The period ended with a 25-second puck stalemate at the Zamboni gate. It’s a wonder Wayne Cashman and Jim Schoenfeld didn’t break through the doors for a runway brawl.

Shots after two: 24-19 Boston.

THIRD PERIOD

Lindholm carried up the left side, pestered all the way until he reached center and put a diagonal pass on the stick of Pastrnak, who hit a trailing Geekie for a quick snap past Vasilevskiy to restore Boston’s two-goal lead (5-3) just 1:35 into the third period.

Grzelcyk to the box at 3:34 for interfering in front with Hagel. Game-management penalty to be sure. On the powerplay, Marchand and Point collided, both went splat, no call. Then McAvoy lost his stick and Coyle needed three tries to transfer his to McAvoy while playing the box in front of Ullmark, who snuffed out everything during the two minutes.

Kucherov couldn’t shake Marchand’s backcheck and, as the puck popped back out to center, slammed his stick against his bench boards before climbing on.

Boqvist made a risky shift with the puck in his own zone, then took a slashing penalty to help avert a resultant Grade A for the Lightning, who go back on the powerplay with 4:47 remaining.

A smattering of loge seats have emptied out as fans try to beat the storm home.

Cooper pulled Vasilevskiy for a sixth attacker, making it a 6-on-4 man advantage, but Victor Hedman’s stick snapped when he leaned on a pass at the left point, and Jake DeBrusk skated the puck to daylight and then carefully directed his shot into the open net with 3:26 remaining.

Many more fans exited the building. Causeway Street won’t be hopping tonight.

Coyle stole the puck from Stamkos, who tried to catch the Boston-born centerman to no avail. Vasilevskiy was back in, but no matter. 7-3 Bruins with 2:46 left.

Signing off. Have a pleasant good evening and drive safely.