Bruins Survive Late Push By Lightning, Win Game 1, 3-2
BOSTON (CBS) -- In what may very well end up being a very long series involving the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins have drawn first blood.
The Bruins opened their second-round series with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night, opening up a 1-0 series lead.
Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand scored for Boston, while Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves.
The teams were scoreless late into the first period before the Bruins struck first. Brad Marchand carefully navigated the offensive zone, carrying the puck back toward the blue line before sending a pass to Brandon Carlo at the right point. Carlo sent a shot in the direction of Charlie Coyle, who artfully tipped the puck out of mid-air and past a helpless Andrei Vasilevskiy with 68 seconds left in the first period.
The Bruins doubled that lead early in the second period, when patient work with the puck on the power play by Torey Krug and David Krejci led to a one-time blast from David Pastrnak.
And the Bruins turned it into a 3-0 lead early in the third period, when Patrice Bergeron picked the pocket of Ryan McDonagh before sending a quick pass to Pastrnak. The winger then fired a cross-crease feed to Brad Marchand, who scored from the doorstep. The possession was gained after Marchand took the puck in deep on a 1-on-3 situation to buy some time for his linemates.
The Lightning finally got on the board near the midway point of the third period, when Victor Hedman sent a soft wrist shot through traffic that found its way past Halak to cut the Boston lead to two.
The Lightning tightened it to just one goal with 74 seconds left in the game. With the goalie pulled for the extra attacker, Hedman sent yet another shot through traffic that found a way past Halak.
Tampa pulled the goalie again in the final minute, but the Bruins fended off the push to win by a final score of 3-2.
Game 2 will be played Tuesday night, the first in a back-to-back set for Games 2 and 3.
