4 takeaways from the Bruins’ 3-0 win over the Lightning
Bruins pull within two points of the East-leading Lightning
After Thursday’s ugly 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers, the Bruins knew they needed a much better effort against the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
Saturday’s Bruins were a very different team since their last meeting with the Lightning – a 3-2 home victory for Boston on Nov. 29 – but the end result remained the same. With their 3-0 shutout of the Lightning Saturday night, the Bruins have now won eight of their last 10 against their Atlantic Division foes.
Without their star center (Patrice Bergeron), top defensive pair (Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy), and their second line left-winger (Jake DeBrusk), the injury-plagued Bruins needed a full 60 minutes to take down the Bolts. The B’s won third straight over Tampa in arguably their most impressive victory of the season.
Here’s what we learned:
Bruins once again find first-period success against Bolts
This @ToreyKrug to @Pastrnak96 connection got us started. 👌 pic.twitter.com/egcba25apX
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 18, 2018
It’s no secret the Bruins have had some serious issues in the opening period, yet those troubles seem to slip away whenever they face Tampa Bay.
In their 3-2 victory over the Lightning in November, the Bruins jumped out to a 3-0 lead, including two first-period goals. On Saturday, they repeated the feat, as Torey Krug (three assists) set up David Pastrnak and then David Backes to give the Black and Gold a 2-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes.
There is no doubt the Bruins are a resilient bunch. Their first period struggles, combined with their overall success, show just that.
An injury scare for David Backes
Here’s a good-look at the laceration David Backes suffered tonight. This is from his skate back to the bench, you can clearly see the bloody-area above his knee. Backes continues to one of hockey’s toughest players. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/oQ0l9kAWZy
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork) March 18, 2018
Shortly after notching his 12th goal of the season to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead, Backes and the rest of the Bruins had a real scare. While sliding into the crease alongside Lightning forward Yanni Gourde, the latter’s skate found an unprotected area above Backes’s right knee and cut him.
Backes was seen immediately grabbing his leg before hobbling off the ice and into the Bruins dressing room. Boston would later announce that Backes needed stitches for a laceration above his right knee, and would not return..
After the game, head coach Bruce Cassidy said Backes needed approximately 18 stitches, but didn’t provide much information about the veteran’s status going forward.
“I don’t want to say he dodged a bullet, because it’s an unfortunate accident. But it looks like he will be OK, and from there I don’t know – I don’t have an update,” Cassidy said. “[We’ll] see how it is tomorrow, and we will classify him as day-to-day. But other than that, I don’t know if he will be ready for Monday.”
Tuukka Rask shines in victory
Tuukka Rask became the first @NHLBruins goaltender in franchise history to record five consecutive 30-win seasons. #NHLStats #BOSvsTBL pic.twitter.com/d1eeOAqkkZ
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 18, 2018
No matter what Tuukka Rask does on the ice, some Bruins fans are critical. Whether it’s not being able to make that clutch save or failing to come up with that big win, negativity is frequently directed at the Black and Gold netminder.
On Saturday, Rask responded to his detractors by making several big-time saves on his way to picking up a huge win.
Rask stopped all 23 shots faced for his third shutout of the year. The 2014 Vezina Trophy winner has won all six of his last starts despite posting a less-than-Vezina-like 3.61 goals-against average over that span.
Bruins earn two vital points
Nash ➡️Nash ➡️🚨 pic.twitter.com/eotRZBwFw9
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 18, 2018
Going into Saturday, the Bruins trailed the Lightning by four points for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. They knew a regulation loss to their divisional foes would hurt more than a loss against any other team in the league.
Even with a handful of key players, the Black and Gold responded by putting forth one of their best efforts of the season to pick up two key points. With the win, the Bruins now trail the Lightning by just two points with a game in hand.
