National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 5, Tampa Bay 2
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Justin St. Pierre, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Scott Driscoll, Tim Nowak
Attendance: 17565

BRUINS 5, LIGHTNING 2: Benoit Pouliot scored the go-ahead goal on a rebound with 8:26 left and defenseman Zdeno Chara recorded three assists as host Boston strengthened its grip on the Northeast Division lead.

Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley added goals later as the Bruins won for the fifth time in six games and improved to 30-0-0 when leading after two periods.

Boston is five points ahead of the Ottawa Senators in the Northeast.

Steven Stamkos scored his second goal of the game and league-leading 55th to tie it 2-2 for the Lightning, hammering a one-timer inside the left post on the power play 5:46 into the third.

Boston goalie Tim Thomas had only 16 saves, but two of those came on a Lightning power play with the game tied 2-2 and less than 10 minutes remaining.

The Bruins outshot Tampa Bay 38-18 overall, but fell behind on Stamkos’ goal 5:03 into the opening period.

Shawn Thornton flipped in a rebound after Chara went to the net 10:54 into the first to tie it. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg gave Boston a lead going into the third by knocking in the rebound of a Chara shot at 15:05 of the second.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
Martin St. Louis had two assists for Tampa Bay, giving him 70 points for the eighth time in nine seasons. … Boston’s Brian Rolston extended his point streak to seven games with an assist. … The teams split four games this season, each winning a pair at home. ... Tampa Bay had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Top Game Performances
 
Tampa Bay   Boston
Steven Stamkos 2 Points Zdeno Chara 3
Steven Stamkos 2 Goals Brad Marchand 1
Martin St. Louis 2 Assists Zdeno Chara 3
Steven Stamkos 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Dwayne Roloson .892 Save Percentage Tim Thomas .889
Dwayne Roloson 33 Saves Tim Thomas 16
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Tampa Bay 18 2 1-4 5-5 12 17
Boston 38 5 0-5 3-4 10 37
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Washington. The Bruins have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .677 after a loss.
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game on the road against New Jersey. The Lightning have a W/L % of .543 after a win and .390 after a loss.