Certainly, the Bruins wanted to have a strong start to the game. Remember in Game Two, Boston didn't record a shot on goal until there were about six minutes left in the first period. That surge never materialized, though, in large part because Ondrej Palat netted two quick goals. The first came off a fumbled puck by Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk - Tyler Johnson jumped on the puck in the Boston end before Grzelcyk recovered, creating a two-on-one down low with Palat. Palat finished the feed into the top of the net, quieting the Boston crown just 1:47 into the game.
The Lightning have done very well in this series controlling the puck in the offensive zone. Another such shift resulted in Palat's second goal. Following a Johnson offensive zone faceoff win against Jake DeBrusk (after David Krecji was tossed from the faceoff), Dan Girardi took a shot from the right point. Tuukka Rask made the save, but it ricocheted to Victor Hedman at the left point. Palat deflected Hedman's shot into the net at 3:19.
Shots in the first period were 19-14 in favor of the Lightning. But in terms of flow of play, the period felt even much more lopsided than that. If not for Rask, the Lightning could have had more than three goals. Buoyed by those early Palat goals, the Lightning dominated five-on-five play in the first period. The Lightning repeatedly closed off the Boston attack in the neutral zone and the Lightning's forecheck was effective in forcing turnovers, so much of the play took place in the Boston end. The Lightning generated several good chances on two power play opportunities, but couldn't extend the lead. They would net that third goal, however, shortly after Patrice Bergeron converted on a Boston power play. Ryan McDonagh intercepted a Boston outlet at center ice and reversed the puck quickly to Yanni Gourde. Gourde set up Tony Cirelli for a shot in the slot. After Rask stopped the first shot, Cirelli popped in the rebound.
The Bruins' best stretch in the game came during the opening 10 minutes of the second period. The Lightning had some trouble cleanly coming out of their own end and committed several icings. The Bruins posted seven of the first nine shots in the second, but Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped them all, preserving the two-goal Lightning lead. Then, in the second half of the period, the Lightning pushed back and leveled play. Two more power play chances helped them build some momentum and they finished with nine of the period's final 10 shots.
Still up 3-1 entering the third, the Lightning kept the Boston offensive zone time, shots and chances to a minimum. Rick Nash and Debrusk each had an excellent scoring look, only to see Vasilevskiy denied them both. But for the vast majority of the period, the Lightning effectively broke pucks out of their own end, managed the puck through the neutral zone and got it deep to the Boston zone. Their high compete level and determination to win pucks greatly aided their cause. From the middle of the second period through the end of the game, the Lightning held Boston to just eight shots on goal.
Getting the lead for the Lightning was important in how this game unfolded. The early Palat goals sapped some of Boston's energy and fueled the Lightning's first period attack. In the four regular season games and three playoff contests between the clubs, the team that has scored first not only has won all seven games, that team has even never fallen behind after taking a 1-0 lead.
The Lightning will now look to do what Boston could not after winning Game One - sweep the two road games. But just as they responded from the Game One loss with a desperate performance in Game Two, they'll need to expect a similar effort from the Bruins on Friday night in Game Four.
Lightning Radio Big Moment of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
Palat's opening goal.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Ondrej Palat - Lightning. Two goals.
2. Andrei Vasilevskiy - Lightning. 28 saves.
3. Tony Cirelli - Lightning. Goal.
