Callahan helps Lightning extend winning streak

BOSTON -- Ryan Callahan scored twice and Steven Stamkos extended his goal streak to six games by scoring on a penalty shot to help the Tampa Bay Lightning win their sixth game in a row 4-1 against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Sunday.
Stamkos has one goal in each game during the streak, which is the longest active goal streak in the NHL. His career-best streak is seven games. He is feeling the most confident he has been all season.
"Yeah probably, for sure. I mean ... it's a lot easier to feel even better when the team's having success as well," said Stamkos, who has 28 goals this season. "I mean six in a row, that's a great feat for us at this time in the year. So it obviously is just icing on the cake to be producing in those wins, and our line is feeling really good about our game right now."

Alex Killorn scored and goaltender Ben Bishop made 32 saves for Tampa Bay (36-22-4), which played the second game of a four-game road trip.

The Lightning took over sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Division with 76 points, two behind the Florida Panthers, who lost 3-1 at the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.
"Yeah, I mean it's so close between the bottom of the pack and the top of the pack, but it's starting to shape out a little bit more now," Killorn said. "But to know you're that close to being in the division lead is exciting, so every game is so important."
Defenseman Kevan Miller scored and Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for Boston (34-23-6). The Bruins are in third place in the Atlantic Division with 74 points.
Bruins coach Claude Julien lamented the defensive breakdowns and finishing 0-for-6 on the power play as well as Tampa Bay finishing 2-for-3 on its power play.

"Well that's part of the story I think tonight - the self-inflicted mistakes that we made, the amount of breakaways and those kind of things," Julien said. "And you know, special teams tonight, the penalty kill wasn't good enough for us, and then the power play, although they did generate some chances, you know we didn't produce.
"And there's no doubt their goaltender was solid for them tonight. But you know at the end of the day it was a big game and we needed to be better than we were."
Miller's fifth goal of the season put the Bruins on the board first at 6:01 of the first period. Joonas Kemppainen won a draw back to Landon Ferraro, who passed to Miller at the right point. Miller took two strides to his left and beat Bishop with a wrist shot that eluded a Ferraro screen and Bishop high to the glove side to give Boston a 1-0 lead.
Killorn responded during the first power play of the game. After Anton Stralman gained the offensive zone, he passed to Killorn for a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Rask high inside the far post at 11:19 to tie the score 1-1. It was Killorn's 12th goal of the season.

Adam McQuaid's misfortune then turned into another Tampa Bay goal. McQuaid fell down while walking the blue line with the puck and the Lightning went off on a 2-on-0 with Callahan burying a return pass from Killorn for a 2-1 lead at 14:39. Callahan has a four-game point streak.
Callahan's second goal, his 10th of the season, came on a power play at 8:18 of the second period and gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead. He tipped a Stamkos shot past Rask.
Stamkos then beat Rask on a penalty shot at 10:04 for a 4-1 lead. Brad Marchand was called for high-sticking Stamkos on the breakaway after Joe Morrow's giveaway at the Tampa Bay blue line. Stamkos is now 1-for-3 on penalty shots this season and 2-for-6 in his career.
Lightning center Tyler Johnson was hit in the face by the puck with 5:19 remaining. He skated to the locker room and did not return.

"Obviously he's cut so hopefully he's going to be OK," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He was cut but he wasn't dazed or anything like that, so you know I think this is going to be one where the visor will probably help out a lot."
The Bruins play the second game of their four-game homestand against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. The Lightning road trip continues at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.