(Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

By: Jeff Playdon | Follow me on Twitter @PlaydonJeff

Game three is here, and the series has resumed in Tampa Bay. After winning in game two, the Bruins looked to take the series lead. Boston displayed tremendous offensive play in game two, and much of the success was because of Tyler Seguin. Seguin scored two goals and two assists in game two to propel Boston to a 6-5 victory. For the first time in this series, Patrice Bergeron will be lacing up the skates. Bergeron was injured in the series against Philadelphia, and that’s why Tyler Seguin has been playing in this series. Seguin won’t get bumped to a healthy scratch, and instead, it will be Shawn Thronton. The starting goaltenders were Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson. Game three is here folks, strap up.  

Krejci Scores 1:09 Into Game 3

The puck was dropped, and Boston was capitalizing on opportunities right away. Just 1:09 into the period David Krejci scored, it was 1-0 Boston. Krejci received a pass from Lucic in front of Roloson, and Krejci patiently deked Roloson right to left and buried the puck from the backhand. The next nine minutes progressed, and both teams traded shots. At the 10:21 mark, both Gregory Campbell and Simon Gagne were going to box for roughing, meaning it would be 4-on-4 for two minutes. The 4-on-4 play ended, and the physicality of the game picked up. 

With 2:31 left in the first period, the Bruins were going on the first powerplay of the night. Marc-Andre Bergeron was going to the box for elbowing, and with the Bruins up 1-0, they had a quality chance to make it 2-0. No shots resulted from the powerplay, and Tampa Bay successfully killed off the penalty. The last 31 seconds of the period went by, and after one, Boston was up 1-0. The Bruins led the shot total 10-8.  

Boston Still Up 1-0

Second-period action was underway, and the Lightning looked to tie the game. 5:58 into the second period, Tampa Bay was going on their first power play of the night. Brad Marchand was going to the box for high-sticking. The Bruins successfully killed off the penalty, and two minutes later, they were the ones going on the powerplay. Miscommunication between Guy Boucher and his players led to too-many-on-the-ice, and the Bruins looked to make it 2-0. With 32 seconds left on the Bruins powerplay, Patrice Bergeron interfered with Adam Hall, and it was now 4-on-4 for 32 seconds. A Tampa Bay powerplay would follow with 1:28 on it, but the Bruins killed it off, and it was back to even strength. Since Tampa Bay couldn’t get any momentum built, it resulted in another powerplay for the Bruins. With 3:05 left in the second, Eric Brewer was going to the box for hooking. Boston’s third powerplay of the night resulted in nothing, and the period quickly ended. After 40 minutes, Boston was up 1-0 and led the shot total 20-16.  

Boston Holds On/Wins Game 3

The last 20 minutes of play were underway, and the Bruins held on to a 1-0 lead. A little over two minutes in the third period, the Lightning finally put some pressure on Tim Thomas. However, it was still 1-0 Boston. Despite Tampa Bay amping up the intensity and putting pressure on Tim Thomas, it was Boston who would score next and make it 2-0. 8:12 into the third period Andrew Ference ripped a shot from the blue line that squeaked between Roloson’s pads, and finally, the Bruins had some breathing room. It was Ference’s second goal of the playoffs, Chris Kelly and Michael Ryder got the assists.

1:37 later, Zdeno Chara was called for hooking, and Tampa had a chance to cut the deficit to one again. Off the faceoff, Martin St.Louis almost buried a backhander, but Thomas quickly poked it away. One more Tampa Bay shot came on the powerplay, but that was it, and the Bruins killed off the penalty. With Boston still up 2-0 and only 2:09 left to play, Guy Boucher pulled his goaltender to give Tampa the extra man. The Bruins continuously cleared the puck out of the zone, and that was it. The Bruins won 2-0 and now led the series 2-1.  

A quick goal by David Krejci 1:09 into the first period ended up being the winning goal, and a goal by Andrew Ference later in the third period sealed the deal. With Boston winning game three, they had now reclaimed home-ice advantage. A solid performance from Tim Thomas in net also led to the Bruins victory as he saved all 31 shots faced. The series would continue on May 21st in Tampa Bay for game four.