The Lightning played without their leading goal-scorer, top center Brayden Point, who was scratched for missing a team meeting prior to the morning skate. It forced the team to scramble just to get enough players to fill its roster, recalling 22-year-old forward Jack Finley from AHL Syracuse to make his NHL debut as the 12th forward.
For one night anyone, it felt like old times on Causeway. With bad blood spilling all over TD Garden between two teams that played a week ago, the Boston Bruins sprinted to a 4-0 second period lead and hung on for a 6-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
BOS 2, TBL 0 9:30 Parker Wotherspoon (1) - David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha Boston doubled its lead on defenseman Parker Wotherspoon’s first NHL goal. Boston forward David Pastrnak took the puck to the right faceoff circle before feeding the defenseman at the left circle, where the latter scored on his shot.
After slipping into an early hole, the Lightning pushed late in the second period but couldn't get a win on Tuesday night in Boston.
The win, paced by early goals from Trent Frederic, Parker Wotherspoon, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak, was the second in a row for the goal-challenged Bruins, who hadn’t won back-to-back games since Dec.
David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha each logged a goal and two assists and Jeremy Swayman tied his career-high mark with 43 saves as the Boston Bruins beat the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Being back in the NHL tends to make days sunny again.
Coach Jon Cooper told media postgame that slow starts plagued his team throughout the three-game road trip that ended Tuesday—Tampa Bay trailed in all three games against the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and Bruins despite finishing the trip with a 1-1-1 record.
While the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to move up the Eastern Conference standings, their captain Victor Hedman keeps checking off milestones.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will kick off their two-game homestand with a cross-conference matchup against the Anaheim Ducks tonight at 7 p.m. The Bolts (23-16-3) are coming off a disheartening 6-2 loss to a key division rival in the Boston Bruins.
Although the Ducks beat the Lightning by three goals on Jan. 5, they have, more recently, been battered on their season-long road trip. The Ducks sandwiched the only win on a journey that began with two lopsided losses between a pair of shutouts by their opponents.