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Effort and a good start did not add up to victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon. The Bolts put in a solid, workman-like effort, but ultimately made too many little mistakes that allowed the Boston Bruins to skate off with a 3-2 victory. For the Lightning, that’s a fourth straight loss, and another tilt that will only add to the team’s growing frustration level. To state it simply – the entire team seems to be at wit’s end.
Just over five minutes into the contest, with Milan Lucic off for interference, Steven Stamkos (15) ripped a shot right past Anton Khudobin to give the Bolts a 1-0 lead. With his back skate literally on the goal line, Stamkos took the perfect pass from Teddy Purcell and made no mistake with his one-timer.
Moments later, and again on the powerplay, Lightning struck the Bruins for a second time as Alex Killorn converted his third of the season to give the Lightning their insurance marker and a 2-0 lead. Killorn was a man possessed for the Lightning this afternoon. He was physical, energetic, and he made life difficult for the Bruins’ defenders whenever he was in the offensive zone. To sum it up – he was phenomenal.
Unfortunately, things started to slip away from the Lightning as the game moved into the dreaded second period. Small mistakes and judgment lapses resulted in Bruin chances, and Bruin goals. Tyler Seguin got the party started for the Bruins on the powerplay as he was able to rip an incredible shot right past Mathieu Garon. Lightning fans are treated to the wonders of Steven Stamkos’ shot on a nightly basis, so it might be hard to truly appreciate just what kind of shot Seguin made to bring the Bruins back to within one. It was something to behold, and a thing of beauty.
Only a minute later, Rich Peverley tied the game with his third of the season. Left all alone on the near side, Peverley fired a one-timer right past Mathieu Garon. He had a gaping 6x4 opening to shoot at, and he made no mistake. The Lightning defenders got caught watching the puck, mesmerized by the Bruins’ puck movement. Again, a simple brain gaffe ultimately cost the Lightning despite an otherwise good effort on the night.
Tied at two heading into the third, the Lightning and Bruins were set for a showdown. Unfortunately for the Lightning, frustration was high and confidence was low. Through two periods, the effort was there, but the results weren’t. That’s not an easy mental hurdle to overcome, and it showed.
Late in the third, Brad Marchand scored his eleventh of the season to give the Bruins a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Lightning penalty killing unit got greedy, attempted to convert on a shorthanded offensive chance, and ultimately handed the Bruins the opportunity they needed to put the game away. Not to sound like a broken record, but once again a simple brain error resulted in a Bruins goal.
That was all she wrote, as the Bruins walked away with a 3-2 victory and two more points added to their impressive totals. Consistency was an issue for the Lightning and, if they have any intention of competing with the conference’s top teams moving forward, that has got to change. With four straight losses, and a disgusting record of 3-10-1 since starting the season 6-1-0, the Lightning have got a lot to think about, and even more to work on.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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