The Tampa Bay Lightning failed to come out of All-Star Weekend on the right foot as the fell to the Boston Bruins Tuesday night at home, making the probability getting into the playoffs even more unlikely.
Period one ended just the way it began with both the Lightning and the Bruins heading into the locker room without a goal to their names. However, it was a highly contested twenty minutes that gave Tampa Bay a slight edge.
The Bolts were able to produce a decent amount of scoring chances while preventing much from happening on the other end. Tampa not only out-shot Boston in the first period, they laid out more hits, blocked more shots, and won more face-offs.
Besides for not entering the first intermission with a lead, the Lightning had the type of period they were hoping for coming off the All-Star break.
In regards to shots, the Boston Bruins dominated the second period. However, that did not prevent the Lightning from getting on the board first. Alex Killorn potted his 14th goal of the season just under nine minutes into period number two.
Unfortunately, Boston would respond later in the period with two goals a minute and 59 seconds apart from one another. Patrice Bergeron would deflect an Adam McQuaid shot for his 12th of the year and David Krejci would make it 2-1 with one second left in the period.
Of course, any goal against can prove to be costly but the Krejci goal was as detrimental as it gets. In the mind of all the Lighting players, they were heading into the locker room with a 1-1 tie. Then, all of a sudden, it is 2-1 right before the horn sounds. Nothing eliminates momentum and confidence quite like that.
Although it appeared that the Bruins had the upper hand at the beginning of the third and final period, Killorn would make sure that that did not last too long as he scored his second goal of the night to make it 2-2. Of course, the goal was critical because it knotted the game up, but it also cranked up the level of intensity on the bench providing the Bolts with new life.
As has been the case so often this season, Tampa's momentum was not long-lasting. Zdeno Chara put the Bruins back in front with his fourth goal of the season. The Lightning have truly struggled with building off momentum which, in turn, has made it very difficult to win a lot of games.
Tampa Bay would fall further from grace as the third period continued. Frank Vatrano scored his sixth goal in 19 games to give Boston a 4-2 lead. Vatrano's power play goal appeared to be quite stoppable but Ben Bishop just could not make it happen.
The Lightning would at least make it interesting when Brayden Point scored his fourth goal of the season with 2:04 left in the third to make it 4-3 Bruins.
At this point in the season, every game is a must-win for the Bolts. Still, victories against Atlantic Division teams are even more crucial. The Lightning just could not get it done against the Bruins and it is appearing more and more like this team just isn't meant for the postseason this Spring.
The Lightning face another Atlantic Division foe when they host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at the AMALIE Arena.
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