BSJ Game Report: Bruins 2, Lightning 1 (OT) - Coyle buries OT winner, Ullmark shines as B’s beat Bolts again

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 2-1 overtime win over the Lightning, with BSJ insight and analysis: 

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Bruins gut out win over Bolts once again: No David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm — and apparently, no problem for the Bruins down in Tampa. 

Strolling onto the Amalie Arena ice without their top sniper and one of their top-pair blueliners, the Bruins managed to land another haymaker against an Atlantic Division foe in the Lightning, with Charlie Coyle beating Andrei Vasilevskiy 3:37 into overtime to lift the visitors to a hard-fought 2-1 victory on Friday night.

In a game that hinted at the war of attrition that awaits if these two clubs were to cross paths in May, both Vasilevskiy and Linus Ullmark (28 saves) stood tall for their respective teams — with a pair of second-period tallies from Jake DeBrusk and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare serving as the only damage inflicted through 60 minutes of regulation play. 

But following a frantic stretch of back-and-forth action in OT,  the B’s finally got the best of the two-time Stanley Cup champions, as DeBrusk battled down low and Coyle buried the game-deciding strike to hand the B’s their 18th win in their last 24 games.

Expectations might have been dimmed a bit following the sour news on both Pastrnak’s and Lindholm’s status, but a determined performance from Ullmark in net — coupled with a spectacular showing from DeBrusk and Boston’s top line — was enough for Boston to escape Tampa with two points.  

Bruins are a worthy opponent for Bolts: Yes, the Lightning are the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. And yes, playoff hockey is an entirely different animal. 

But if you’re the Bruins, you have to be very pleased with how you managed to hold your own against a potential postseason hurdle — with the B’s closing out their season series with Tampa with a 3-0-1 record. 

Boston will have a tough road ahead, however you want to map it out. But Boston has proven time and time again this season that it has the means to hang with one of the top teams in the league — especially after earning a point against Tampa without Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy back in December, and then winning in regulation against them last month without Patrice Bergeron. 

Linus Ullmark stakes his claim for No. 1 nod: For months now, it seems like we’ve all operated with the assumption that Jeremy Swyaman has already been crowned as the heir apparent in net for the Original Six franchise — with the rookie netminder expected to be handed the keys to Boston’s net once the postseason begins on May 2. 

And granted, that line of thinking was validated by the extended heater that Swayman orchestrated once Tuukka Rask announced his retirement — with the youngster posting a 9-0-1 record and a .944 save percentage over a 10-game stretch from February to March. 

But with Swayman now falling into a bit of a rut (.883 save percentage in last nine games), Ullmark has stepped up in a major way — with the veteran backstop now 6-0-0 in his last seven appearances with a .938 save percentage.

Don’t look now, but the Bruins could have a legitimate goalie battle on their hands over these final weeks of the regular season. And they sure seem to benefit either way. 

FOUR UP 

Jake DeBrusk: DeBrusk’s heater continues. With his second-period tally, DeBrusk now has seven goals in his last seven games — and 15 total tallies in his last 23 outings. And even though Coyle might have buried the game-winner, DeBrusk was far and away the best player for Boston in overtime, forcing turnovers with his backchecking efforts. 

 Are … we so sure that the Bruins are moving this guy this summer? There are not a whole lot of 25-goal scorers accounting for a $4 million cap hit.  Just sayin’. 

Top line: Usually, we’d just lump both Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand in with DeBrusk on this list for their efforts in this one. But this top line was so damn good tonight that they absolutely deserved another shoutout. Despite getting most of their matchups against Brayden Point’s line, the Bergeron line ripped up Tampa whenever they hopped over the boards — with Boston holding a 19-2 edge in shot attempts during that line’s 9:43 of 5v5 ice time together. 

Linus Ullmark: The Bruins wouldn’t have had a chance to even secure two points if it wasn’t for the play of Ullmark, who stopped 28 of the 29 shots that came his way. Over his last six starts, Ullmark boasts a record of 6-0-0. 

Penalty kill: One of the main reasons why the Bruins have largely been able to keep pace with the Bolts in their head-to-head matchups this season? The Bruins have done a fantastic job at keeping a pretty potent Tampa power play in check — with the Lightning going 0-for-14 on the power play during their four meetings with the B’s this season. A great effort all around for Boston’s shorthanded unit. 

TWO DOWN

Trent Frederic: A rare off night from the third line, with Frederic in particular really struggling when it came to handling the puck. The winger’s inability to clear a puck out of Boston’s end led to an equalizing goal from Bellemare less than three minutes after DeBrusk lit the lamp. Just an off night all around for this line, with Frederic potentially shaking off some rust after missing the last couple of games due to an upper-body injury. 

Penalties: Boston’s PK unit was stout all night, but the Bruins still made things pretty hard on themselves with some poor discipline — with Mike Reilly getting whistled for two high-sticking infractions and Nick Foligno sent to the sin bin for an offensive-zone tripping penalty. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

LOOSE PUCKS

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will close out their four-game road trip on Sunday with a matinee matchup against the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is set for 1:30 p.m.