Bruins shock Lightning 6-2 in Game 1

The Boston Bruins took all the electricity out of Amalie Arena with a commanding Game 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The second series between the conference’s two best teams finally got underway in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And just like the first game between the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators, the road team got out to a hot start and recorded a statement win.

The Boston Bruins were looking to bounce back from nearly blowing a 3-1 series lead (again) to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The good news for their fans is the last time that happened, they went all the way to the Cup Final. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning breezed past the New Jersey Devils thanks to reliable scoring from their star players.

The Bruins’ top line propelled them to victory in the first round. They were on full display again in this game, combining for 11 points. With a powerplay late in the first period, Rick Nash tipped a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy for his second goal of the playoffs. Patrice Bergeron then made it a two-goal game just 42 seconds into the second off of a slick no-look pass from David Pastrnak.

Brad Marchand appeared to make it 3-1, but his goal was disallowed due to an earlier cross-checking penalty — somewhat surprising given how many calls they got away with in the first round. It wouldn’t matter, as Nash scored his second of the game after a successful penalty kill.

While Mikhail Sergachev cut the lead back to 3-2, Tuukka Rask lost one of his skate blades prior to the goal and when the refs didn’t blow the play dead, he was incensed. He was even waving the blade around, which might’ve been considered illegal in other countries.

Marchand made up for his earlier goal that was waved off by extending the Bruins’ lead to 4-2 five minutes into the third. After Bergeron scored his second of the game, Jon Cooper did his best Patrick Roy impression by pulling Vasilevskiy with almost half the period to go. It did not work, as Jake DeBrusk’s empty-netter put this game out of reach.

Three stars

1. David Pastrnak: Pastrnak picked up right where he left off in the first round, adding four assists to his team-leading 13 points. His pass on Bergeron’s goal was equal parts dazzling and perplexing. If he keeps up his torrid pace, and if the Bruins get that far, a Conn Smythe wouldn’t be out of the question.

2. Patrice Bergeron: Bergeron was the best forward on either team in the first round, but with only one goal, he was more content to play the role of playmaker while his linemates racked up the goals. In this game, the roles were reversed as Pastrnak picked up all the assists while Bergeron potted two goals. As Future would say, this line’s chemistry is sensational.

3. Tuukka Rask: We could’ve gone with the entire top line, but Rask deserves some love here. He caught a lot of flak for how he played against the Leafs, but wardrobe malfunctions aside, he was back on his game. He made 34 saves, most of which came in a frantic second period. You could hear the “Tuuk” chants from all the Bruins fans that made the trip, as he silenced his very vocal critics.

Highlights

Next Game

Game 2 of this series goes down on Monday at 7:00 p.m. ET. If the Lightning want to get back in this series, they should treat it like a must-win.

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