It turns out that a simple lineup tweak late in the second period, specifically to the Boston Bruins’ top line, putting Milan Lucic back up to the first line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak, was all the Black and Gold needed in a huge 4-3 win over the East-best Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I think it’s part of the game. You move parts around and you try and get results there,… said Boston coach Claude Julien. “The guys that scored for us tonight had obviously some pretty good games. So, again it was one of those games where I thought we played well – didn’t have the best start, start was just okay, first period. We needed to be better. I thought we got better there in the second period and thought in the third we came out there with a real purpose and did a great job.…
The win made it four straight for a B’s squad that’s continuing their climb out of their self-dug grave, and kept the Bruins in possession of the second wild card spot in the East, but didn’t come without some heavy adversity. Twice the Bruins trailed in the opening 30 minutes, and both times off some defensive mistakes, and twice off the stick of Tampa Bay superstar Steven Stamkos (his 24th and 25th of the year).
But the Bruins responded. Just 4:29 later, too, with a beautiful strike from the 18-year-old Pastrnak.
In just three shifts together, the new-look Krejci line had two goals -- and more importantly, the lead. The goal obviously meant a lot for Pastrnak. It was his first on Garden ice. And the Bruins’ third goal certainly meant a lot for Lucic. It was a sign that No. 17 is regaining form (read as: earning his top-line minutes), and reaping the rewards of driving to the net and forcing defenseman to play on their heels.
But above all else, the goal showed some much-needed, and the oft-questioned resiliency of a Boston squad that’s been caught hanging their heads far too often.
“We have a lot of character on this team and in this room and I think it’s starting to show, we’ve been playing a lot better lately and it seemed like earlier on in the season when we were down by a goal or two we were deflated, and right now it seems like it doesn't matter what the score is or how we are playing,… said Boston forward Brad Marchand. “We know that we can come back in a game and you now we bounced back after we were down by a goal and this is what we need on this team especially if we are going to climb back in the standings and continue to push to get higher. We need that, there is a lot of really good games coming up here and we need to be able to push through adversity.…
Pastrnak’s wraparound tally 90 seconds into the third made it 4-2 in favor of the Bruins, and though the Lightning made it a one-goal game with a double-deflection from Killorn to Ryan Callahan, Tuukka Rask (16 saves on 19 shots) and the B’s hung on, due in large part to a mild five-shot third by Tampa.
The game was an obvious measuring stick for the Bruins (though the Lightning would tell you that it was for them as well), but catching the Bolts without Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman, and on the second leg of a road back-to-back obviously gave Boston an edge, you’d think.
Still, the Lightning weren’t falling back on an excuse.
“They played better than us,… Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “That’s it.…
The Bruins have now won 32 of 42 home meetings against the Lightning in their lifetime, and have won nine straight home games against Tampa Bay. Their last loss came on Mar. 25, 2010.
Paquette tries to have a go with Chara
When you think heated Atlantic Division rivals, you don’t tend to think of the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. But don’t tell that to Cedric Paquette and Zdeno Chara, two players that seemed ready to dismantle one another if given the chance (well, sorta), in the Bruins’ 4-3 victory.
With Chara whistled for a boarding against Matt Carle just seconds into a Boston power play, the 21-year-old Paquette came over to give Chara a piece of his mind in the form of a slight check. Chara dished it back. Then Paquette again. And then the 6-foot-9 captain decided to simply pop Paquette in the mouth.
I’ll be honest-- I’m not sure what Paquette was thinking here. You understand his frustration with Chara hitting his teammate, and you know the message he’s trying to send. But he looked legitimately stunned by the reaction he got from No. 33 in black and gold. And I’m not sure what he was expecting. Rightfully, though, the Boston captain was assessed a four-minute roughing to go with his original boarding call.
But with the Lightning trailing in the closing moments and in search of the game-tying goal, Paquette decided to try his luck with Chara once again. And again, he regretted it almost immediately.
I’ll be honest (again)-- I have even less of a clue what Paquette was thinking here. You got rocked in the mouth by Chara earlier, and then you want more? Not only that, you decide to try and fight that battle with your team trying to tie the game in the final moments? Watching Paquette’s shift there, it was clear that the 6-foot-1 former fourth-round pick had almost no interest in helping his team tie the game, but rather settle a score with Chara. That’s the wrong time, and when you’ve been planted once before, why go back? Honestly.
The 37-year-old B’s captain wouldn’t comment on the incident after the game, but his teammate, the always entertaining Brad Marchand, offered up his honest take on the whole thing.
“I don’t know what that kid was thinking,… Marchand said of Paquette. “You don’t mess with Zee.
“There are some guys where you can push them and they’ll just kind of let it go but if you’re going to challenge Zee [Zdeno Chara] then you’re going to have to deal with the consequences. You know he took a pretty hard punch there the first time and I don’t know what he was thinking going back. I mean he must of forgot we play them three more times so hopefully he’ll be sent down by then for his sake.…
Up next
The B’s return to the ice on Thursday night for their first of three showdowns with the New York Rangers. Though they were shutout in their last outing, a 3-0 loss at the hands of the New York Islanders, the Blueshirts come into Boston on an impressive run that’s yielded eight wins in the last 10 games played. The Bruins swept the season series between the two rivals in 2013-14, taking all three games between the two.