Lightning at Bruins Preview: Winning in Boston will forever and always be fun
An overview
When the Tampa Bay Lightning have played regular season games in Boston, they haven’t exactly had much luck. They have an 11-38-6-4 record after 59 games, averaging 2.36 goals scored and 3.59 goals allowed per contest. Not very impressive numbers. Because of this, it’s entertaining when they succeed in defeating the Bruins at home.
They haven’t declared victory at TD Garden in a while. Their last four excursions up north have ended in defeat, including the 7-3 loss in January prior to their most recent winning streak. As a matter of fact, the Lightning’s last celebration on Boston ice occurred on December 4, 2021, when the team won 3-2 thanks to an overtime goal from Steven Stamkos—a man who has plenty of unpleasant Bean Town memories. Taylor Raddysh scored his first goal of the season in the game, however it was a shorthanded goal.
It will require a comparable level of effort to end their current losing run, especially given that the Bruins recently suffered an uncommon home loss to the Capitals. They should play hard in front of the home crowd because Charlie Lindgren shut them out.
With a 2-2 split heading home, which wouldn’t be too awful considering how the trip started, the Bolts are hoping to end their road trip with a victory. Additionally, it would reduce their divisional lead over the Bruins to 10 points. With less than 30 games remaining, the lead is still quite substantial but not insurmountable.
Given that he allowed six goals on twenty-five shots against him in his previous appearance on the ice, Andrei Vasilevskiy should be extremely motivated. It was one of those strange games where the score was close for the most part of the evening, but Boston ended up scoring three times in the third, including an empty-netter, to make it look worse than it actually was. Yes, the Lightning were blown out on the scoreboard. In a 5v5, the Bolts had the superior statistics, accounting for 61.54% of shot attempts, 62.5% of scoring opportunities, and 52.0% of projected goals. With a short-handed goal and a power play goal, Boston prevailed in the special teams contest and helped change the score.Even though the Lightning defeated Columbus on Saturday, there were still a couple instances in which they handled the puck carelessly. Coach Cooper seems uninterested in focusing on the specifics following the game, accepting the victory for what it was. Boston is a squad that will make you pay if you give them opportunities, so they will need to play better in their own zone. Watch for the Bolts to break out quickly and with control, as well as for improved puck awareness in the offensive zone. Making blind passes from the boards to the middle of the ice will not go well.
Tanner Jeannot may be back with the Lightning based on the lines at practicethe lineup. The last time the Bolts played in Boston, he was sidelined with a hamstring injury and only played 5:54 of the game. If he returns to the ice, chances are he’ll be very enraged and seeking some revenge.The Bolts have three difficult games coming up at home against Colorado and Florida, starting with this one. It might be the season’s turning point even with a few months remaining. There will be a spring in their step if they win two of the three. Things get hopeless if you lose two or, heaven forbid, are swept.
So why not win the first one and make life simple?
