BSJ Game Report: Lightning 4, Bruins 3 (OT) - Palat gives Tampa new life as B's can't land knockout punch

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

HEADLINES

Bruins/Bolts trade punches in regulation: Even without their top shutdown weapon in Ryan McDonagh available to play, a much more engaged Tampa Bay team did everything it could to punch back against the Bruins throughout regulation in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal, taking a 3-2 lead with under nine minutes to go off of Blake Coleman's second goal of the night. 

But, as to be expected in a series as competitive as this, Boston answered right back in the closing minutes of the third period, with Brad Marchand knocking home a slick feed from Sean Kuraly at the end of suffocating shift — knotting the contest up at 3-3 and forcing overtime at Scotiabank Arena.

It seemed like fate willed an extra period of play in this one, considering how the top-two clubs in the Eastern Conference continued to trade punches over the first 60 minutes of regulation. Granted, even if Tampa was forced to play catch-up and respond with equalizers of their own following goals from Nick Ritchie (3:14 in first period) and Marchand (his first goal of the night at 14:33 in the second) — the Lightning were far and away the aggressors in this one.

Entering overtime, Tampa built itself a 60-45 edge in terms of shot attempts and a plus-seven differential in high-danger scoring chances during 5v5 play. But thanks to Marchand's late heroics, Boston still had a chance to put Tampa on the ropes and give itself a convincing 2-0 series lead.

Palat wins it in OT: Alas, it was all for naught — as Ondrej Palat buried a puck past Jaroslav Halak just 4:40 into overtime to give Tampa a 4-3 win and even the best-of-seven series at 1-1. It was a rather one-sided OT up in Toronto, with the Bolts outshooting Boston, 8-1, in the extra frame before Palat struck — the byproduct of a frustrating shift in which both Boston's fourth line and the Brandon Carlo - Torey Krug pairing were unable to clear the puck out of the B's own zone.

Given the compact nature of this Eastern Conference Semifinal, momentum can swing in a hurry, given that Game 3 of the series is set for ... well, 21 hours from now — as Boston and Tampa will meet again on Wednesday night. So what'll it be — a strong retort from a veteran (but gassed) Bruins club, or does Tampa continue to roll now that they earned themselves new life up in the bubble?

THREE UP


Brad Marchand: Marchand passed a significant milestone in Tuesday’s matchup, with his power-play tally in the second period giving him 93 career postseason points — surpassing Bobby Orr for seventh place on the Bruins’ all-time list. Of course, he saved his best for the final minutes of the third period — burying the equalizer to close out an impressive shift in which both and Kuraly refused to give Tampa a chance to clear out the puck. 

Bruins video team: A well-deserved stick tap for Mathew Myers and Hunter Cherni on the Bruins’ video team — as they set the stage for Boston to call for a video review after Barclay Goodrow lit the lamp in the opening period. After Boston challenged for offside, the officials reversed the call, as Brayden Point wasn’t out of Boston’s zone by the time the Bolts crossed the blue line with the puck, negating Tampa’s opening tally. 

https://twitter.com/TheReplayGuy/status/1298401064761397248

Nick Ritchie: Cassidy kept Ritchie in the lineup this series in hopes that the power forward would be able to fight his way to the net against a larger Tampa club, and he made good on his coach’s gamble in the fourth minute of play — crashing the net and knocking home his first goal of the season. Ritchie finished the game with three shots on goal in his 12:12 of ice time. 

https://twitter.com/TheReplayGuy/status/1298399690166358017

FOUR DOWN

Krug-Carlo pairing: Man, these two are going to want to burn the game film when looking back at Tampa’s opening tally from Blake Coleman at 12:42 in the first — a sequence in which Krug and Carlo made Zach Bogosian look more like Bobby Orr than ... well, Zach Bogosian. Carlo had himself a rough night throughout, as his blind clearing attempt behind Boston's net in overtime allowed the Bolts to regain possession — leading to Palat's OT winner shortly thereafter.

Jaroslav Halak: While his defense in front of him, especially in transition, didn't do him any favors, Halak is going to want a couple of these Tampa tallies back — especially Coleman's second tally of the evening in the third period. Yes, Connor Clifton getting his stick on the puck at the last second might have altered Coleman's shot, but the B's needed to have this stop here. Halak finished with 35 saves on the night.

https://twitter.com/TheReplayGuy/status/1298433223081504770

Connor Clifton: I can't believe I'm sayin' it, but maybe there was a bit TOO MUCH "Cliffy Hockey" tonight. Whether it be getting caught up high on Coleman's second goal of the night or taking a needless interference penalty off of a late hit against Goodrow, Clifton's aggressive style of play often put Boston behind the eight ball in this one.

Krejci Line: For the first time in a long time, the Bruins' new second line had a major clunker on the ice — with Krejci's seven-game point streak in the postseason coming to an end. In the 10:40 of 5v5 ice time in which Krejci was matched up against Nikita Kucherov, Tampa held a commanding 16-6 edge in shot attempts. Of course, what matters most is that Tampa didn't bury a goal during that stretch, but you'd still like to see that B's second line punch back a lot more in this head-to-head matchup.

PLAY OF THE GAME

What a relentless shift here — leading to Marchand's equalizer in the third period.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1298435693304147971

PARTING THOUGHTS

I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t seem like Connor Clifton and Patrick Maroon are going to exchange any Christmas cards this holiday season. 

https://twitter.com/TheReplayGuy/status/1298416226214051841

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"I feel fine. ... Just need to get a good night's sleep." - Halak on his fatigue level entering Game 3 on Wednesday night.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins and Lightning will meet again on Wednesday night for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.