The Boston Bruins exploded in the third period for three goals on Thursday night, pulling away from the top team in the National Hockey League the Tampa Bay Lightning, for a 4-1 win at TD Garden in Boston. The win extends the Boston streak to 15 games without a regulation loss, and ends the streak of 10 straight wins and 14 straight without a regulation loss for Tampa Bay.
Boston (38-17-9) dominated play with shots on goal and territorially throughout most of the game, especially in the first two periods where they outshot Tampa 32-9. Despite the edge, the Bruins could get only a powerplay goal from Jake Debrusk at 8:43 of the second period to take a 1-0 lead after 40 minutes. Lightning goalie Louis Domingue kept the visitors in the game, and continued to early in the third stopping two great chances in front of his own cage with glove saves. The netminder stopped 36 of the first 37 shots he was peppered with. Then the Bruins took over. Three goals in a span of 1:28 turned a one goal game into a four goal game just past the halfway mark. Noel Acciari buried a rebound at 11:47 for his third goal of the season. 45 seconds later, Patrice Bergeron then made it 3-0 when took a pass from Danton Heinen, who chased a puck down the right wing boards and centered it to Bergeron, who fired a low wrister from the lower part of the right faceoff dots past Domingue. Marchand capped the flurry with a breakaway goal 43 seconds after the Bergeron tally. Tampa Bay (49-12-4) scored to end the shutout bid with a screened shot from just inside the point by Anthony Cirelli with 6:08 to play.
Marchand had a goal and and an assist, and Heinen added two assists to lead the Bruins. Tuuka Rask only had to make 20 saves in the net for the win, while Domingue stopped 37. Boston outshot Tampa 41-21. The loss for Domingue is his first in 11 starts previously (11-0-0). Boston stays at home and will host New Jersey Saturday night at 7 pm. The Lightning still have a stranglehold on the top spot in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference, 17 points ahead of the second place Bruins.
