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Bruins vs. Lightning Game 3: Highlights, final score and more

By Bruin Belisle

TAMPA, FL - APRIL 30: Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) finishes his check on Boston Bruins defender Kevan Miller (86) during the second period of an NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoffs game between the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 30, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 30: Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) finishes his check on Boston Bruins defender Kevan Miller (86) during the second period of an NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoffs game between the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 30, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Bruins played Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden in Boston tonight. Here are the highlights, score and more.

23. 1. 70. Final. 4

The Tampa Bay Lightning came on strong tonight, catching the Boston Bruins on their heels early in this game. Ondrej Palat had two goals in the opening five minutes and likely would have added one more if not for a brilliant save by Tuukka Rask. Rask kept this game from being four or five nothing in the opener.

The Bruins top line scored a goal when Patrice Bergeron beat Vasilevskiy on a Bruins power play but Anthony Cirelli answered for Tampa, making it 3-1 after the first.

The ice tilted slightly in the Bruins’ favor as the second period started, with the B’s waking up and getting a couple of scoring chances early on. They kept the pressure on the Bolts as they built momentum until a Krug penalty evened out the ice once again.

Cedric Paquette and David Backes had themselves a “playoff fight” after Backes laid-out Dan Girardi, which fired up the hungry Boston crowd. It was all for naught, though, as the Bruins took inopportune penalties each time they built any momentum in the second and were lucky to get out of the period down two goals.

The Lightning played a great defensive game through the third period, keeping this one at 3-1 Lightning until Steven Stamkos finally scored a goal in this series (on an empty net). The Bruins will need a faster start and fewer bad penalties in Game 4 on Friday if they want to go back to Tampa Bay at two games apiece.

Three Stars

3. Anthony Cirelli

Cirelli brought energy and hustle to the Lighting tonight, recording 5 shots and drew three penalties in a hard-fought Game 3 from Tampa Bay. The Lightning need guys like Cirelli to step up while the top line tries to shake their recent troubles. The young forward played hard all night and was rewarded for it with Tampa Bay’s third goal of the game.

2. Andrei Vasilevskiy

While he wasn’t overly pressed in this game, Vasilevskiy was exactly as good as he needed to be. He calmly stopped all of the Bruins scoring chances, including some key stops early in the second when it looked like Boston was going to make a push. Vasilevskiy looked like a Vezina candidate once again tonight.

1. Ondrej Palat

Palat opened the game on a level of his own. He scored the first two Tampa Bay Lightning goals in the first five minutes of the game. The only thing stopping Palat from a first period hat trick was an incredible paddle save by Rask.

Highlights

Next Game

The Bruins host the Lightning again for Game 4 on Friday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Next: 25 most bizarre goalie masks in NHL history

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