Nuts & Bolts: Lightning and Bruins resume series on Saturday

SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Bruins are playing Game 4 of their Second Round, best-of-seven 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs series...Tampa Bay has won seven of its last eight playoff meetings against Boston, including a 3-1 record in the 2020 Playoffs...Nikita Kucherov (2-3--5 pts.) and Brayden Point (1-4-5 pts.) each pace the Lightning for scoring in the Second Round series vs. the Bruins...Brayden Point (4-6--10 pts.) leads the Bolts for scoring in eight games against Boston in 2019-20 (reg. season and playoffs) followed closely by Nikita Kucherov (3-6--9 pts.) and Alex Killorn (4-3--7 pts.)...Victor Hedman (2-4--6 pts.) and Mikhail Sergachev (2-3--5 pts.) are Tampa Bay's scoring leaders among defensemen vs. Boston in 2019-20 (reg. season and playoffs)...Brayden Point and Alex Killorn each have four goals to pace the Bolts for goals vs. Boston in 2019-20 (reg. season and playoffs).

SATURDAY'S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is 14-11 all-time in Game 4s...The Lightning are 6-5 in Game 4s when holding a 2-1 lead in a series, including wins in their last five Game 4s under such circumstances...The Bolts are 8-3 all-time in a playoff series when leading 2-1, including five-consecutive series wins when up 2-1...Tampa Bay won for the first time this postseason with a margin of victory great than a goal in Game 3; the Lightning had earned each of their first seven wins this postseason by a one-goal margin, becoming the third team in NHL history to earn each of their first seven playoff wins all by a one-goal margin, joining the Mighty Ducks in 2003 (9 games) and the Rangers in 2015 (9 games).
IN THE NIK OF TIME
Tampa Bay right wing Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and tallied three assists in Game 3 vs. BOS to match Lightning playoff records for assists and points in a playoff game...Kucherov's four-point night established a new career high for scoring in a playoff game...Kucherov produced his fourth three assist game in his playoff career and second in the 2020 Playoffs (also: 3 assists in Game 5 1st Rd. vs. CBJ)... Kucherov ranks tied for sixth in the 2020 Playoffs for scoring (4-10--14 pts.) and tied for fourth for assists...Kucherov scored a goal for the second-consecutive game and now has 33 goals for his playoff career, matching Martin St. Louis for the most in franchise history.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LEADERS
T-1. Martin St. Louis - 33 goals (63 GP)
T-1. Nikita Kucherov - 33 goals (76 GP)
3. Tyler Johnson - 27 goals (79 GP)
With his three-assist night in Game 3, Kucherov moved within two assists of tying current teammate Victor Hedman for most helpers in Lightning playoff history.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF ASSIST LEADERS
1. Victor Hedman - 44 assists (95 GP)
2. Nikita Kucherov - 42 assists (76 GP)
3. Martin St. Louis - 35 assists (63 GP)
Since making his playoff debut in 2014, Kucherov ranks second in the NHL for playoff scoring.
NHL PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2014
1. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 28-56--84 pts. (86 GP)
2. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 33-42--75 pts. (76 GP)
3. Evgeni Malkin (PIT) - 27-45--72 pts. (83 GP)
Since the 2015 playoffs, Kucherov has narrowed the gap considerably between himself and Sidney Crosby among playoff scoring leaders, moving to within a point.
NHL PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2015
1. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 27-48--75 pts. (73 GP)
2. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 32-42--74 pts. (74 GP)
3. Alex Ovechkin (WSH) - 38-32--70 pts. (78 GP)
SERG-ING AHEAD
Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev scored a goal and added two assists in Game 3 vs. BOS to tie the franchise record for most points in a single playoff game by a defenseman set three times previously (last: Victor Hedman, 1-2--3 pts. in Game 3 of 2018 ECF at WSH)...Sergachev registered his first career multi-point game in the postseason and scored his fourth career playoff goal (2nd on the power play)... Sergachev scored a power-play goal and added a power-play assist for his first career playoff game with multiple power-play points.
POINTING THE WAY
Bolts center Brayden Point scored a goal and tallied two assists in Game 3 vs. BOS to extend his playoff point streak to four games (2-6--8 pts.)...Point registered his third career game of three or more points in the playoffs and second of the 2020 Playoffs (also: 1-2--3 pts. in Game 5 of 1st Rd. vs. CBJ)...Point has recorded points in 10 of 11 games so far this postseason and continues to pace the Lightning for goals and scoring (6-9--15 pts.)...Point ranks tied for third in the 2020 Playoffs for scoring and tied for eighth for goals and assists...Since making his playoff debut in 2018, Point leads the Lightning for playoff goals (14) and ranks second for scoring (14-18--32 pts.) behind Nikita Kucherov (11-22--33 pts.).
GOING IN FOR THE KILL
Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn scored two goals, including one on the power play, and added an assist, all three points coming in the second period of Game 3 vs. BOS to set a Lightning franchise record for most points in a period...Killorn registered his third career two-goal game in the postseason and second career three-point night (also: 2-1--3 pts. in Game 2 2015 ECF at NYR)...With two goals in Game 3, Killorn passed Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier to move into fourth place among Tampa Bay's all-time leading goal scorers in the playoffs.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LEADERS
3. Tyler Johnson - 27 goals (79 GP)
4. Alex Killorn - 25 goals (79 GP)
5. Vincent Lecavalier - 24 goals (63 GP)
6. Steven Stamkos - 23 goals (70 GP)
PUTTING UP PALAT OF POINTS
Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat scored the opening goal on a power play and added a power-play assist in Game 3 vs. BOS for his 11th career multi point game in the postseason...Palat recorded his second career playoff game with multiple power-play points (also: 1-1--2 pts. in Game 4 2015 ECSF vs. MTL)... Palat has scored goals in back-to-back games for the third time in his playoff career (last: 3 goals between Games 2 &3 of 2018 Second Rd. vs. BOS)...Palat could record a career long for a playoff goal streak with a goal in Game 4...Palat has points in all three games to start the Second Round and could match his career long for a playoff point streak of 4 games set during the 2015 Playoffs...Palat's power-play goal to open Game 3 ended an 0-for-17 skid on the power play for the Lightning dating to their third Round Robin game vs. PHI...Palat scored his eighth career playoff power play goal to pull into a tie with Nikita Kucherov and Vincent Lecavalier for fourth most in Lightning playoff history.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF PPG LEADERS
1. Steven Stamkos - 11 PPGs (70 GP)
2. Martin St. Louis - 10 PPGs (63 GP)
3. Brad Richards - 9 PPGs (45 GP)
T-4. Vincent Lecavalier - 8 PPGs (63 GP)
T-4. Nikita Kucherov - 8 PPGs (76 GP)
T-4. Ondrej Palat - 8 PPGs (78 GP)
VASY FOR VEZINA
Bolts goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23-of-24 shots in Game 3 vs. BOS to improve to 8-3 in the 2020 Playoffs, ranking tied for first for wins among NHL goalies...Vasilevskiy allowed one goal or fewer for the second time this postseason (also: 28-of-29 saves in Game 4 1st Rd. vs. CBJ)...Vasilevskiy has established Lightning career goalie records for wins (23), games (44) and starts (39) this postseason.
OH MY GOURDE
Tampa Bay forward Yanni Gourde scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in Game 3 vs. BOS for his third career multi-point game in the playoffs and second of the 2020 Playoffs (also: 1-1--2 pts. in Game 4 1st Rd. vs. CBJ)...Gourde netted his third-career game-winning goal and second of the 2020 Playoffs (also: Game 4 1st Rd. vs. CBJ) and now ranks tied for eighth in Lightning history with Ruslan Fedotenko and Victor Hedman for postseason game-winning goals...Gourde ranks tied for first with Brayden Point for game-winning goals on the Lightning in the 2020 Playoffs and tied for fourth in the NHL.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Game 5 - Monday, August 31 - 7 p.m.
Game 6* - Wednesday, September 2 - TBD
Game 7* - Thursday, September 3 - TBD
\If necessary
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