By: Jeff Playdon | Follow me on Twitter @PlaydonJeff
After allowing three goals in a 1:30 span, the Bruins dug themselves a hole they couldn’t get out of and lost game one 5-2. The Bruins looked to flip the script in game two; however, it wouldn’t be easy. Patrice Bergeron was still out with an injury he suffered in the series against Philadelphia, so the Bruins would still be without one of their key players. Because of that, Claude Julien would have to reshuffle the lines to match Tampa Bay’s 1-3-1. The starting goaltenders for game two were Tim Thomas and Dwyane Roloson.
Lightning Up After One
Game two was underway, and right away, it was an early disaster for Boston. Just 13 seconds in, Adam Hall backhanded a rebound shot that bounced off the backboard from a Vincent Lecavalier shot. It was the quickest goal scored in Tampa Bay’s playoff history, and it was 1-0 Lightning. Two minutes later, a scuffle in front of Roloson resulted in Andrew Ference and Victor Hedman pushing and shoving. Both were heading to the box for roughing, and it was 4-on-4.
During the 4-on-4, Boston was lighting up Roloson with shots, and shortly after, Tampa’s head coach called a timeout. The Bruins were responding well after falling in a quick hole. Shortly after 4-on-4 play was over, Ryan Malone elbowed Dennis Seidenberg, and the Bruins were getting the first powerplay of the game. Three shots resulted from Boston’s powerplay, but the lightning still had a 1-0 lead. A great powerplay from Boston, though, and the Bruins were determined to get on the board.
1:20 after the halfway mark of the period, Ryan Malone was called for interference, and the Bruins were on the powerplay again. 39 seconds into the powerplay, Adam Hall slashed Seidenberg, and it was going to 5-on-3 for 1:21. The Bruins had a golden opportunity to tie the game. Finally, after swarming Tampa Bay for most of the period, the Bruins were able to score on the powerplay and tie the game. Nathan Horton was able to tip the puck in the left side of the net off a blistering Dennis Seidenberg slapshot, and it was tied at one. With roughly three minutes left in the first, Tampa Bay was getting their first powerplay of the night.
Nathan Horton was going to the box for interference. Daniel Paille was doing it all, becoming a nuisance for Tampa during the penalty kill. With 57 seconds left in the period, both Zdeno Chara and Steve Downie went to the box for roughing. A scuffle in front of Thomas resulted in both of them pushing and shoving. After the Bruins outshot the Lightning 18-11 in the period and dominated play, Martin St. Louis collected his seventh goal of the playoffs when Steve Stamkos’s backhander from the right circle bounced off Boychuk and into the net as St. Louis crashed into Thomas. The goal happened with seven seconds left in the period.
Bruins Score Five in the Second
Unlike the start of the first period, the Bruins opened the second period with a bang. Just 48 seconds into the period, Tyler Seguin potted his second goal of the playoffs, and it was tied at two. Seguin blew by Randy Jones and buried the puck behind Roloson, an absolute beauty. Riding the momentum, Boston scored again and made it 3-2. David Krejci received a cross-zone pass sent by Seidenberg from the left side of the goal and redirected a backhand deftly into the net. The Bruin’s onward attack didn’t stop there.
Tyler Seguin got his second goal of the game on a 2-on-1 break with Horton. Horton carried down the left side of the Tampa zone, passed the puck across to Seguin, and Seguin ripped a forehand to the far side. It was 4-2 Boston with 13:30 remaining in the second. Tyler Seguin was quickly becoming a Boston icon. The Bruins momentum was put to a halt 1:18 later when Mark Recchi was called for cross-checking, and Tampa was going on the powerplay. It only took the Lightning 19 seconds to cash in on the powerplay, and the deficit was back to one.
Seconds after the halfway mark of the period, the Lightning would get a chance to tie the game. Zdeno Chara was going to the box for tripping, and Tampa had its third powerplay of the game. The lightning zipped the puck around, but the Bruins were able to kill off the penalty. Five minutes later, Lecavalier was going to the box for hooking, and the Bruins had a chance to make it 5-3. 1:14 into the powerplay, Tyler Seguin rifled a shot off the left sidewall, the puck bounced off Roloson and found Michael Ryder, who lifted a backhand shot past Roloson. It was 5-3 Boston with 3:44 left in the second.
As the final minute of the period winded down, Michael Ryder struck again. Ryder picked the rebound of Chris Kelly’s shot off Roloson’s pads and lifted a forehand into the right side of the net. Seguin started the play with a pass from the left wall with a centering pass to Kelly. The final 19 seconds ticked, and the second period was over. Boston had a commanding 6-3 lead going into the final 20 minutes of the game.
Bruins Hold on/Win Game Two
Coming into the third period, Dwayne Roloson was pulled from the net, and Mike Smith was substituted in. Nonetheless, just 32 seconds into the third period, Dominic Moore was called for interference, and the Bruins had a chance to make it 7-3. Tampa killed off the penalty, and shortly after, Steven Stamkos ripped a wrist shot past Thomas to make it only a 6-4 Boston lead. After falling in a deep hole in the second period, the Lightning were on a mission in the third period. Seven seconds after the period’s halfway point; the Lightning looked to make it a one-goal game. Nathan Horton was going to the box for elbowing. The Bruins killed off the penalty, but seconds after, Claude Julien called a timeout to refocus his guys.
Coming out of the timeout, it seemed as if it helped Tampa more than Boston. In fact, just 36 seconds after Claude Julien called a timeout, Dominic Moore scored on a wild sequence to make it a one-goal deficit. Victor Hedman knocked a shot that hit the right post, bounced over to hit the left post, and dropped to the ice. Bergenheim swooped in to put it away but shot it wide, and from the left, Moore pushed it into the scrum in front of Thomas, who was down on the ice and had lost his mask, and the puck went into the net.
Tim Thomas was making huge saves with four minutes left in regulation and Tampa desperately trying to tie the game. One of those saves came at the 16:09 mark when Thomas was in a prone position and stopped Marc-Andre Bergeron’s shot. Tim Thomas stopped Victor Hedman’s slap shot with the final seconds winding down, and Boston won game two 6-5.
What a game; after falling in a quick 1-0 hole, the Bruins responded with six goals in the next 39 minutes. Five of them were in the second period alone. Much of the Bruin’s success in game two came from Tyler Seguin. Seguin scored two goals and assisted on two goals. The 19-year-old looked like a seasoned veteran out on the ice for Boston. Another key part of the Bruin’s success in game two was Tim Thomas. Thomas made critical saves in the last five minutes of play. With the series now tied 1-1, the series would resume at Tampa on May 19th.
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