Final: Bruins 3, Lightning 2 - B's hold on to take 1-0 lead

The Bruins will open their second-round matchup against the Lightning with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday up in Toronto. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. Follow along for updates from Sunday’s game.

WHO: Bruins (0-0) vs. Lightning (0-0)

WHEN: 8:00 p.m. 

WHERE: Scotiabank Arena

TV: NBC

RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

LIVE BOX SCORE: NHL.com

LIVE COVERAGE:



https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297729290763751424

Hedman scores, again. 3-2 game. 1:14 left.

Cooper pulls Vasilevskiy. 2:29 left.

Victor Hedman opens the scoring for Tampa. First shot of the period for Tampa. 3-1 game.

Connor Clifton - locked in.

What a play from the top line. Impressive stuff from all three skaters.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297720759788417025

Third period underway.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297715114758623232

Tampa kills it off.

Cernak takes a Krug shot off the helmet. He seems to be okay.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297713226600284160

Bruins power play coming up.

B's kill off Wagner's penalty.

I don't know how the Bruins are the only ones getting a penalty there in a post-whistle scrum.

Another quality look from Kase. Vasilevskiy keeping his team in this one.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297710656200867842

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297709073429823493

B's kill it off. Chara hurting after blocking a shot.

Bergeron off for a hold. Tampa power play coming up.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297706667912630276

Bruins going back on the power play. Hedman off for a trip.

Second period is a go.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297702355920658433

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297703325153087488

What a play by Coyle here.  1-0 Boston.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297699669137555458

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297699007716876291

Not a great start on the power play. Struggling to carry the puck in. Active sticks up high near the blue line.

Great rush by Clifton leads to a penalty against Tampa.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297694664242462720

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297693743034900480

B's kill the penalty on Chara.

Wooof what an awful call there.

Puck dropped.

Looks like Kuraly vs. Tampa's third line to open things.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1297687795763421184

 

LINEUPS

BOSTON

Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — Ondrej Kase
Nick Ritchie — Charlie Coyle — Anders Bjork
Joakim Nordstrom — Sean Kuraly — Chris Wagner

Zdeno Chara — Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug — Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Clifton

Jaroslav Halak
Dan Vladar

Scratched: Trent Frederic, Karson Kuhlman, Zach Senyshyn, John Moore, Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril, Maxime Lagace, Jeremy Lauzon, Par Lindholm, Jack Studnicka

TAMPA BAY 

Ondrej Palat -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn -- Anthony Cirelli -- Tyler Johnson
Barclay Goodrow -- Yanni Gourde -- Blake Coleman
Pat Maroon -- Mitchell Stephens -- Cedric Paquette

Victor Hedman -- Zach Bogosian
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev -- Kevin Shattenkirk

Andrei Vasilevskiy

PREGAME NOTES:

For our full series preview on Bruins/Lightning, click here. 

The Bruins will make a couple of switches up front to open the second round, with Nick Ritchie and Anders Bjork skating with Charlie Coyle on the third line. Ritchie has failed to gain traction so far this postseason, but his size could come in handy against a physical Tampa club. Sean Kuraly will center Boston’s fourth line once again. 

Steven Stamkos will not play in Game 1, with the Tampa captain still dealing with a lower-body injury he suffered during Phase 3 action. There is no timetable for his return. 

This marks the third time the Bruins and Lightning have met in the postseason. The Lightning defeated the Bruins in five games in a 2018 second-round series, winning the final four games after losing Game 1. Boston defeated Tampa Bay in seven games in the 2011 Eastern Conference Final en route to a Stanley Cup title. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy was 3-1-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .922 save percentage against the Bruins in the regular season. Jaroslav Halak has not faced Tampa since March 22, 2018.