The Tampa Bay Lightning continued to chip away at the lead of the Eastern Conference pacesetting Boston Bruins by downing the hosts in a shootout for a 3-2 win in Beantown.
Lightning Never Trailed Against East Leaders
Tampa Bay scored the first two goals of the game and never trailed in the contest. Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak scored the night’s opening goal on a wrister just 3:21 into the game. Tampa Bay winger Nikita Kucherov doubled the visitor’s lead on an unassisted power-play tally 66 seconds into the second period.
However, the Bruins did not simply tuck their tail and run. Boston came roaring back with a pair of goals off the sticks of defenseman Charlie McAvoy and winger James van Riemsdyk at 2:04 and 16:23 of the second period, respectively.
Following a scoreless third period and overtime session, Lightning center Brayden Point recorded the only goal of the shootout session to secure Tampa Bay’s important road victory.
Loss Ruins Marchand’s 1000th NHL Game
Tuesday night’s game featured a milestone for a Boston staple. Bruins longtime winger Brad Marchand commemorated his 1000th NHL game Tuesday night with a pair of assists. However, his 24th and 25th assists of the season — to go with 25 goals — were not enough for the 35-year-old Boston stalwart to taste victory.
The “Little Ball of Hate,” as the conniving Marchand is less-than-delicately known among some opponents, has played his entire 15-year NHL career in Beantown. In this day and age of player movement, it is always great to see players stick with one team for so long.
Lightning Hang on to the No. 6 Slot in East Playoff Chase
This was a critical win for the Lightning. With the victory, Tampa Bay hung on to the third and final Atlantic Division playoff spot. The Lightning holds a one-point edge on the division rival Toronto Maple Leafs. Coincidentally, Toronto also won on Tuesday and currently owns a Wild Card playoff slot.
Tampa Bay pulled to within 11 points of Boston in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division standings. The Lightning are 7-3 in their past ten games; the Bruins are 6-3-1 over the same span.
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