Rival or not, Lightning ready for stern test from Bruins

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point isn't sure whether he and his teammates consider it to be a rivalry game whenever they play the Boston Bruins.
One thing he is sure of, however, is it's always a good game.
Tampa Bay hosts Boston tonight at AMALIE Arena (7 p.m. puck drop), the Lightning looking to extend their home point streak to 10 games and pick up their second win in as many opportunities this season against the Bruins.

And whatever their feelings about the Bruins or vice versa, the Lightning know tonight's contest will be a test to see just how much their game has recovered from a three-game losing skid from December 30 to January 2 where they were outscored a combined 16-6. Since, the Bolts have won two straight, dismantling the Blue Jackets 7-2 in Columbus on Tuesday and following with a convincing 4-1 win at AMALIE Arena Thursday against a strong Western Conference opponent in Calgary.
"It's a good game to see where you're at and measure yourself against one of the best teams in the league," Point said of the Bruins.

Tampa Bay has already played and defeated the Bruins once this season, scoring a 3-2 overtime win back on December 4 at TD Garden. During that contest, Boston controlled play for large stretches and had the Lightning on their heels at times. But the Bolts were able to prevail in overtime when Steven Stamkos scored 1:31 into the extra session.
"They kind of took it to us there for quite a bit, but we battled back and made sure we got the win," Lightning defenseman Zach Bogosian said of that early December matchup. "I thought there were some areas in our game that we have cleaned up since. It'll be a good matchup, two good teams."
In recent seasons, the Lightning and Bruins have battled one another usually for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, if not the entire NHL. And the animosity between the two teams has grown thanks to a pair of hotly-contested playoff series. In the 2018 Second Round, Boston routed the Lightning 6-2 in Game 1 before the Bolts reeled off four-straight wins, including two in Boston, one that was punctuated by Brad Marchand licking Lightning forward Ryan Callahan during a scrum between the two, the Bruins seemingly desperate to try anything to get back into the series.
It didn't work. The Lightning finished off the Bruins in Game 5 with a 3-1 victory at home before bowing out of the playoffs to the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Final a series later
Two seasons later, the Lightning and Bruins again met up in the Second Round of the playoffs, this time in a bubble in Toronto as COVID forced teams to isolate between two Canadian cities in an effort to ensure the postseason could be played and the teams were safe from the virus. That series played out in a similar fashion, the Bolts dropping the opening game before winning four in a row to advance, capped by Victor Hedman's double overtime goal in Game 5 to send the Lightning onto Edmonton and a meeting with the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Final. Tampa Bay would win that series and the next one to capture its first of two back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
The number of times the Lightning and Bruins have faced each other over the last handful of seasons - except for last season when they didn't play because of redrawn, more regionalized divisions due to COVID - has added to the heightened intensity whenever they play. Tampa Bay has gotten the better of the Bruins more often than not of late having won eight of the last 10 meetings in the regular season and 16 of the last 20 including postseason contests.

"I guess it's a bit of a rivalry game," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "You get these teams we've played recently in the playoffs, we've played these guys a couple of times and then in our division. Usually we're battling for playoff spots. We've had some fun ones against these guys. Core is intact for both teams. It's fun playing these guys I guess is the best way to put it. There's never a free pass. The games are tough, and you kind of learn a little bit about your team when you play these guys. I look forward to these games because they are a challenge and they've always been kind of a benchmark in this league. Fun games to play in."
The Lightning will have nearly their entire lineup at their disposal when they take on the Bruins tonight following Nikita Kucherov's return on Thursday from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for 32 games and over 11 weeks of the regular season. Only two Lightning regulars will be out for the contest. Bogosian skated with his teammates for the first time at morning skate Saturday since suffering a lower-body injury that's forced him to miss the last four contests. He had been skating on his own previously.
But Cooper said he won't be available tonight.
"Just kind of take it day by day, but it is feeling better," Bogosian said.
And Ross Colton remains the only Lightning player on the NHL's COVID protocol list and isn't eligible to play tonight. Cooper said he hopes to have Colton back when the Lightning hit the road for a back-to-back set, starting Monday in New Jersey against the Devils.
"I think after this game hopefully we can get him back," Cooper said. "But, again, there's steps that have to be done, but he's for sure out tonight. After this one, there's a possibility for him."