Nuts & Bolts: Lightning can advance with a win in Game 5

MONDAY'S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Bruins are playing Game 5 of their Second Round, best-of-seven 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs series...Tampa Bay has won eight of its last nine playoff meetings against Boston, including a 4-1 record in the 2020 playoffs...The Lightning are attempting to defeat the Bruins in five games in a best-of-seven playoff series for the second-consecutive playoff meeting (Bolts also won a 2018 Second Round series against Boston by a 4-1 count, winning four straight after dropping the series opener)...Boston has scored a power-play goal in all four games of the Second Round series; four of the Bruins' eight goals so far have come on the power play...Nikita Kucherov (2-5--7 pts.) paces the Lightning for scoring in the Second Round vs. BOS... Ondrej Palat (4-2--6 pts.) has the most goals for the Bolts in the Second Round...Brayden Point (4-7--11 pts.) and Nikita Kucherov (3-8--11 pts.) lead the Lightning for scoring in nine games against Boston in 2019-20 (reg. season and playoffs)...Andrei Vasilevskiy has won eight of his last nine playoff starts against Boston.

MONDAY'S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay has never lost a playoff series when up 3-1, going 7-0 in such situations in its postseason history...The Lightning have closed out six playoff series when up 3-1 in their first opportunity to do so in Game 5, including their last five series when up 3-1 (the only series the Bolts didn't close out in five games when up 3-1 came in 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. MTL, falling 2-1 in Game 5 before closing the series out 4-1 in Game 6)...Tampa Bay can advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the fourth time in the last six seasons with a win tonight...The Lightning are 12-9 all time in Game 5s and have won their last seven Game 5s...Tampa Bay's three-game win streak is the longest active win streak in the NHL currently.
PUTTING UP PALAT OF POINTS
Tampa Bay left wing Ondrej Palat scored a pair of goals in Game 4 at BOS for his third career multi-goal game in the postseason and first since Game 3 of the 2018 Second Round vs. BOS...Palat has scored four goals in the Second Round vs. BOS and four goals for the playoffs...Palat netted his 24th and 25th career playoff goals Saturday to move past Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier and into a tie with Alex Killorn for fourth place among Tampa Bay's all-time postseason goal leaders.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LEADERS
3. Tyler Johnson - 27 goals (80 GP)
T-4. Ondrej Palat - 25 goals (79 GP)
T-4. Alex Killorn - 25 goals (80 GP)
6. Vincent Lecavalier - 24 goals (63 GP)
7. Steven Stamkos - 23 goals (70 GP)
Palat extended his goal streak to a career-long three games (4-1--5 pts.) and his point streak to four games (4-2--6 pts.), matching a career long set during the 2015 Playoffs...Palat is one game shy of tying the longest goal streak in Lightning postseason history of four games accomplished four times previously (Steven Stamkos in 2015 and 2018; Vincent Lecavalier in 2007 and Martin St. Louis in 2003)... Palat recorded his 49th and 50th career playoff points in Game 4 and is one of seven Lightning players all-time to reach the 50 playoff point milestone...Palat netted the game-winning goal in Game 4 for his second game-winning goal of the series (also Game 2) and fourth game-winning goal in two career playoff series vs. Boston (also: Games 2 and 3 of 2018 Second Round vs. BOS)...Palat now has six playoff game-winning goals in his career, tied with Nikita Kucherov for fourth most in Lightning postseason history.
IN THE NIK OF TIME
Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov tallied two assists in Game 4 at BOS for his second-consecutive multi-point game, fourth multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs and his 22nd career playoff multi-point game...Kucherov is within two multi-point postseason games of tying Martin St. Louis for most in Lightning playoff history.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF MULTI-POINT GAME LEADERS
1. Martin St. Louis - 24 multi-point games (63 GP)
2. Nikita Kucherov - 22 multi-point games (77 GP)
3. Steven Stamkos - 15 multi-point games (70 GP)
With two assists in Game 4, Kucherov pulled into a tie with current teammate Victor Hedman for the most playoff assists in Lightning history.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF ASSIST LEADERS
T-1. Nikita Kucherov - 44 assists (77 GP)
T-1. Victor Hedman - 44 assists (96 GP)
3. Martin St. Louis - 35 assists (63 GP)
Kucherov already took over as the Lightning's all-time leader for playoff scoring earlier this postseason and needs one more goal to become the Bolts' all-time leader for playoff goals.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LEADERS
T-1. Martin St. Louis - 33 goals (63 GP)
T-1. Nikita Kucherov - 33 goals (77 GP)
3. Tyler Johnson - 27 goals (80)
Kucherov has posted points in three-straight games (2-5--7 pts.)...Kucherov ranks tied for second in the NHL this postseason for scoring (4-12--16 pts.) and assists...Since the 2015 playoffs, Kucherov ranks first in the NHL for scoring.
NHL PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2015
1. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 32-44--76 pts. (75 GP)
2. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 28-48--75 pts. (73 GP)
3. Alex Ovechkin (WSH) - 38-32--70 pts. (78 GP)
VASY FOR VEZINA
Bolts goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29-of-30 shots Game 4 at BOS for his third-straight win and ninth of the playoffs, tied with NYI's Semyon Varlamov for most in the NHL this postseason...The Vezina Trophy finalist has given up just one goal in each of his last two starts and three starts total this postseason...Vasilevskiy is the only goalie remaining in the 2020 Playoffs to play every minute of every game of the teams still competing for the Stanley Cup...Since the start of the 2018 postseason, Vasilevskiy ranks third for combined wins, just one with shy of the NHL lead.
NHL GOALIE WINS LEADERS SINCE 2018
T-1. Tuukka Rask (BOS) - 21 wins (40 GS)
T-1. Braden Holtby (WSH) - 21 wins (37 GS)
3. Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL) - 20 wins (33 GS)
4. Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - 18 wins (29 GS)
PROVING A POINT
Tampa Bay center Brayden Point tallied an assist in Game 4 at BOS, giving him a point in every game of the Second Round and extending his playoff point streak to five games (2-7--9 pts.)...Point has a career-long six-game point streak (4-3--7 pts. to start 2020 Playoffs) to go along with his active five game point streak in the 2020 Playoffs...Point has recorded a point in 11 of 12 games so far this postseason...Point (6-10--16 pts.) ranks tied for second in the NHL for scoring this postseason and tied for fifth for assists... Point tallied his 19th career playoff assist in Game 4 to tie Dan Boyle and move into the top 10 among Tampa Bay's all-time playoff assist leaders...Point, along with current teammate Nikita Kucherov, is one of four players in TBL history to register a point per game in the postseason (min. 10 GP).
TBL PLAYOFF POINT PER GAME LEADERS
1. Martin St. Louis - 1.08 (63 GP)
2. Brad Richards - 1.04 (45 GP)
T-3. Nikita Kucherov - 1.00 (77 GP)
T-3. Brayden Point - 1.00 (33 GP)
JOHNNY ON THE SPOT
Lightning forward Tyler Johnson recorded an assist in Game 4 at BOS for his second assist and point of the Second Round...Johnson tallied his 30th career playoff assist on Saturday to pass Brad Richards and tie current teammate Steven Stamkos for fourth-most playoff assists in Lightning history.
TBL ALL-TIME ASSIST LEADERS
3. Martin St. Louis - 35 assists (63 GP)
T-4. Steven Stamkos - 30 assists (70 GP)
T-4. Tyler Johnson - 30 assists (80 GP)
6. Brad Richards - 29 assists (45 GP)
HED OF THE CLASS
Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman netted a power-play goal Game 4 at BOS for his third goal of the Second Round and fourth goal of the 2020 Playoffs...Hedman and Vegas' Shea Theodore are tied for the NHL lead for goals among defensemen (4) this postseason...Hedman ranks tied for sixth among NHL defensemen for scoring this postseason (4-3--7 pts.)...Hedman scored his fourth career power-play goal in the playoffs and first since Game 5 of a 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinal vs. NYI...Hedman now has 18 career playoff power-play points and can tie Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier for fourth most all-time in the playoffs for the Lightning with one more power-play point.
TBL ALL-TIME POWER PLAY SCORING LEADERS
3. Martin St. Louis - 10-14--24 pts. (63 GP)
T-4. Brad Richards - 9-10--19 pts. (45 GP)
T-4. Vincent Lecavalier - 8-11--19 pts. (63 GP)
6. Victor Hedman - 4-14--18 pts. (96 GP)
THE ROAD AHEAD
Game 6* - Wednesday, September 2 - TBD
Game 7* - Thursday, September 3 - TBD
\If necessary
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