Bruins beat Lightning 3-1, extend NHL-record season-opening home win streak
By KEN POWTAK Associated Press
BOSTON - Taylor Hall scored twice and the Boston Bruins extended their NHL-record streak of home victories to open a season to 13 games with a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
Backup goalie Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves and Brad Marchand added an empty-netter for the Bruins, whose 3-2 overtime win over Carolina on Friday broke the record of 11 set by the 1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks and matched by the Florida Panthers last season.
Steven Stamkos had a power-play goal, raising his career point total to 999, and Andrei Vasilievskiy stopped 23 shots for Tampa Bay. The Lightning had won six of their last seven games.
Hall snapped off a shot from the slot for the eventual winner 2:49 into the third period after collecting a pass from Nick Foligno, who started to circle the net before quickly turning and centering the puck.
Swayman came across the crease, flashing his right pad to make a splendid stop on Corey Perry with just under seven minutes left in the game.
Tampa Bay had tied it on Stamkos' score with 1:40 left in the second period.
Swayman stopped about four or five excellent chances in the period before Stamkos scored on a one-timer off a pass from Nikita Kucherov from near the left circle.
In an opening period with few quality scoring opportunities, Hall made it 1-0 just 67 seconds into the game. Positioned in the slot, Hall tipped in Brandon Carlo's shot from the point, with the puck dropping from about waist high and going between Vasilievskiy's pads.
Vasilievskiy robbed Jake DeBrusk's short-handed bid midway into the period with a blocker stop when the winger broke free for a wrister between the circles.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Bruins standout defenseman Charlie McAvoy was down for a while after the puck deflected under his visor and hit him on the bridge of his nose. He got up slowly, headed down the runway toward the locker room, but quickly came back and didn't a shift.
WHAT AN EFFORT
Lightning defenseman Brandon Hagel blocked three shots during a Bruins' power play early in the third.
NOTES: Stamkos, who had two goals, including the game-winner in a 6-5 OT victory at Buffalo on Monday night, notched his 26th career goal against the Bruins. ... Boston defenseman Derek Forbort returned to the lineup after missing the previous 11 games with a broken finger, and forward Trent Frederic was back after being sidelined the last two games with an undisclosed injury. ... The Bruins beat the Lightning 5-3 in Tampa Bay on Nov. 21. In that game, Boston captain Patrice Bergeron collected his 1,000th career point, becoming the fourth Bruins player to reach that plateau.
UP NEXT
Lightning: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
Bruins: Host the Colorado Avalanche Saturday night.
