Lightning vs. Bruins: Projected lines; injuries; storylines

The Bolts and Bruins play the first of three meetings between the two clubs in the season's final few weeks.
Tampa Bay sits four points ahead of Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. The teams will meet in Boston later this month and then again at AMALIE Arena during the final week of the regular season.

Lines from Tuesday's game. Subject to change.
Forwards
J.T. Miller - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Yanni Gourde - Brayden Point - Tyler Johnson
Chris Kunitz - Cedric Paquette - Ryan Callahan
Alex Killorn - Anthony Cirelli - Adam Erne
Defensemen
Victor Hedman - Anton Stralman
Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Mikhail Sergachev - Braydon Coburn
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy or Peter Budaj
Saturday's Matchup
Tampa Bay and Boston will play three times, including tonight, over the final 12 games of the regular season...The Bruins earned a 3-2 win in Boston in the teams' lone prior meeting this season on Nov. 29, Boston opening up a 3-0 lead and the Bolts rallying behind goals from Andrej Sustr (1st of the season) and Steven Stamkos (PP) but unable to complete the comeback...Tampa Bay has lost six of its last seven to Boston, going 1-4-2 over that stretch, the lone win coming March 23, 2017 in a 6-3 win in Boston, Nikita Kucherov recording his third career hat trick in that victory...The Lightning have lost their last four at home to the Bruins, going 0-2-2, and haven't defeated Boston at AMALIE Arena since a 3-2 shootout victory in the final game of the 2014-15 regular season (April 11, 2015)... Anton Stralman has more points (14) vs. BOS than he does against any other team in the NHL...Ryan McDonagh has three
combined assists in his last three games vs. BOS.
Saturday's Storylines
Tampa Bay's magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 4 whereby any combination of Lightning points gained and Columbus or Philadelphia points lost would reduce that number...The Lightning pace the NHL for wins (48), goals (251), goals per game (3.59) and goal differential (+59) and are tied for first with Vegas for ROW (42)...The Bolts are playing the first half of a back-to-back set, their 11th of 13 back-to-back sets in 2017-18...Tampa Bay is 6-3-1 in the first half of a back-to-back set this season...The Lightning are playing their third of three-straight games versus Atlantic Division opponents...The Bolts own a .695 points percentage (15-6-2) against the Atlantic this season, their third-best points percentage against their own division in franchise history (best: .767 vs. Atlantic in 2014-15; second best: .700 vs. Atlantic in 2016-17)...Tampa Bay remains in first place in the Atlantic by four points over Boston (the Bruins have a game in hand)...The Lightning have led the Atlantic continuously since Oct. 19...Tampa Bay is tied with Winnipeg for the best home points percentage (.765) in the NHL...With 100 points through 70 games, the Bolts are closing in on their most points gained in a season in franchise history, needing eight more points over their last 12 games to match the team record 108 points put up by the 2014-15 team (50-24-8).
Injuries
2017-18 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 115
Current injuries
Ondrej Palat - Lower body (out 6 to 8 weeks; injured Jan. 20) 24 games
Transactions
March 13 - Re-assigned G Louis Domingue to AHL Syracuse
March 12 - Recalled G Peter Budaj from AHL Syracuse
March 6 - Assigned G Peter Budaj to AHL Syracuse for a conditioning assignment
In the Nik of Time
Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov matched a single-game career high with three assists March 13 vs. OTT to extend his point streak to five games (1-8--9)...Kucherov ranks tied for fourth in the NHL for assists (57), just three assists behind league-leading WPG Blake Wheeler...Kucherov recorded his 89th, 90th and 91st points Tuesday and became the fifth player in Lightning history to record 90 points in a season, joining Martin St. Louis (3 times), Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier (2 times) and Steven Stamkos (3 times) and the first since Stamkos recorded 60-37--97 in 2011-12...Kucherov has led the NHL for scoring continuously since Dec. 12 and is aiming to become the first Lightning skater to finish the season as the NHL's scoring leader since Martin St. Louis in 2012-13 (17-43--60 in 48 games).
Miller Time
Lightning forward J.T. Miller recorded his first career hat trick (2nd this season for the Bolts, joining Tyler Johnson, Jan. 9 vs. CAR) and set a new career high for shots (10) March 13 vs. OTT...Miller matched his career high for points in a game set five times previously (last: Jan. 25, 2018, 1-2--3 at SJS while with NYR)...Since coming to the Bolts at the trade deadline, Miller has nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) in seven games.
Hed of the Class
Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman tallied two assists March 13 vs. OTT for his 12th multi-point game of the season and 79th of his career...With both of his assists Tuesday coming on the power play, Hedman recorded his 100th and 101st career power-play points...Hedman's second power-play assist Tuesday was also his 40th assist of the season, the second-straight season he's recorded 40 or more assists and third time in his career...Hedman became the third Lightning player to reach 40 assists this season, joining Nikita Kucherov (57) and Steven Stamkos (55), and Tampa Bay is one of four NHL teams with three players with 40 or more assists along with Florida, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Goals Galore
The Lightning have scored 251 goals this season, the second most in franchise history with 12 games still to play, and are closing in on their all-time record of 262 goals scored during the 2014-15 season...Tampa Bay has scored a NHL-best 96 goals in 2nd periods and tied the all-time franchise record for most second period goals in a season set previously in 2006-07...The Bolts have netted 125 home goals, 14 goals from tying the record for home goals in a season (139 in 2014-15).