The Boston Bruins look to start a new winning streak when they conclude a five-game stretch against current playoff-caliber opponents with a Saturday night matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
A 6-3 loss Thursday at the Ottawa Senators ended the Bruins’ hopes of their first win streak longer than two games since December. After several strong efforts, the game marked a return to inconsistent ways — allowing a four-goal first period that was too much to overcome.
“Our execution wasn’t quite there. We weren’t sharp, our passing was off, and because of that, they got us back on our heels and then took the play to us in the first period,” interim coach Joe Sacco said. “I think a lot of it was self-inflicted. Our decisions with the puck, at times, weren’t accurate.”
Boston’s first post-deadline loss did see newcomers Casey Mittlestadt and Marat Khusnutdinov score their first goals with the team, while David Pastrnak recorded his 34th and at least a point for the 22nd time in 23 games.
While a new-look lineup has come together quickly, the Bruins are still looking into the playoffs and have three teams sitting between them and the final spot. With the Thursday result, Ottawa now has a five-point lead atop the wild-card standings.
“We never give up in (this room), but we’ve gotta come out fast, especially in a game like this,” Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei said. “We worry about the next game. That’s all you can do. … We have to be ready to go from puck drop.”
The Bruins have played well against Tampa Bay this season, winning the past two of three total meetings by a combined 10-2 score. Saturday marks their final head-to-head clash.
Jeremy Swayman stopped all 25 shots he faced en route to a 4-0 win in Tampa last Saturday, which marked only the second shutout loss for the Lightning this season.
“We’re not going to go away,” Pastrnak said after that game.
The Lightning are 10-3-1 in their last 14 games, but have now gone three straight without a win (0-2-1) following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
Now, it will come down to the visit to Boston to find a win on this three-game road trip, which began Tuesday with a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“The boys are working, but (it seems) like the harder they work, not much is getting done,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “In the end, we left a lot of plays on the table. Ultimately, if you do that, the game’s in the balance. That’s what happened. We lost the extra point.”
Zooming out to the last four games, Tampa Bay has not eclipsed 26 shots on goal in any of them and gone a combined 2-for-9 on the power play.
Against Philadelphia, Cam Atkinson tied the score 3:50 into the third period to eventually force overtime. The goal came in the former Boston College star’s first game back with the team after a short assignment to AHL affiliate Syracuse.
“We knew what we had to do — stick to our game plan and play with energy,” Atkinson said.
It was a crucial goal, helping Tampa earn a point to keep a four-point hold on the third Atlantic Division playoff position.
“Obviously, (Atkinson has) been such a trooper,” forward Brayden Point said. “Always positive, such a great teammate and a great guy, and to see him score on a team he once played for was awesome.”
Gage Goncalves and Zemgus Girgensons also scored against the Flyers. Goncalves, a 24-year-old rookie, has now tallied in back-to-back games.
–Field Level Media
