Andrej Sustr's goal at 10:53 of the second got the Lightning on the board and it came at the end of a shift in which the Lightning did outwork the Bruins in the Boston end. The effort from the line of Cedric Paquette, Ryan Callahan and Chris Kunitz allowed the Lightning to maintain possession of the puck in the offensive zone. But the Lightning weren't able to built any momentum from that tally. The Lightning could only manage a few isolated looks in the second half of the middle period - Tyler Johnson had two breakaways and Nikita Kucherov had a good opportunity in the final minute of the second.
It wasn't until the third period that the Lightning's overall game improved. An early power play goal from Steven Stamkos cut the deficit to one and set the tone for the rest of the period. Their compete level was higher and they moved the puck more crisply. They had more puck possession than in the first two periods combined. But still, they didn't generate too many dangerous scoring chances. They finished with nine third period shots and, outside of the Stamkos goal, their best look came on an Ondrej Palat attempt in the closing minutes.
The Lightning picked up only one win on the four-game trip. They'll look to regroup when they open a four-game homestand on Saturday against San Jose.
Lightning Radio Big Moment of the Game:
Riley Nash's first period goal.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game: