Tampa Bay Lightning Defeat Boston Bruins in Shootout

The Tampa Bay Lightning took down the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Tuesday in a shootout. The 29-20-5 Lightning have now won two straight games and sit in third place in the Atlantic Division. Meanwhile, the Bruins’ cushion at the top of the Atlantic Division continues to shrink, with Boston dropping three of its last four.

Bruins’ Comeback Falls Short

The Lightning started the game hot, with Erik Cernak scoring just over three minutes into the game to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead. Nikita Kucherov made it 2-0 as he netted a power-play goal early in the second period.

Kucherov became the sixth player in NHL history to reach 90 points in 55 or fewer games. He is among the favorites to land the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s MVP.

Nikita Kucherov scored to improve his 2023-24 totals to 34-56—90 (53 GP) and established a @TBLightning benchmark for fewest games to 90 points in a season.#NHLStats: https://t.co/pfmYWeZ9ws pic.twitter.com/xasNgqEy92

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 14, 2024

However, the Bruins did not back down.

Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk scored for the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners to tie the game before the conclusion of the second period. The third period did not see any goals, although both teams traded chances. The three-on-three overtime period was much of the same, leading to a shootout.

In the shootout, Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point netted the lone goal, using a nifty move to squeeze the puck past Linus Ullmark. With the game on the line, Andrei Vasilevskiy stepped up in a big way. He did not allow any of the Bruins’ three shootout attempts into the back of the net. Vasilevskiy’s shootout effort finished out the game and gave the Lightning the 3-2 win over the Bruins.

Marchand’s Milestone

Longtime Boston Bruin and current captain Brad Marchand played in his 1,000th NHL game on Tuesday. He is the eighth player to record 1,000 games with Boston. His 912 career points rank fifth all-time for the Bruins. Marchand was a part of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup Championship.

The Bruins said that he will be honored with a ceremony before Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars. Marchand recorded two assists for the Bruins in his milestone game and narrowly missed a game-winning goal.

Tonight's a big night for Brad Marchand. 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/UkCOv9kDoo

— NHL (@NHL) February 13, 2024

What’s Next

The Tampa Bay Lightning have now won two straight games and sit at third place in the Atlantic Division. They will begin their four-game home stand Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

Despite losing three of their last four games, the Bruins still remain at the top of the Eastern Conference. They will host the Seattle Kraken Thursday as they look to get back in the win column.