Bruins Eliminated From Playoffs In 3-1 Loss To Lightning In Game 5
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Bruins opened the scoring on Sunday. But it wasn’t enough, as the Tampa Bay Lightning scored three unanswered goals to win Game 5 and the series, officially eliminating Boston from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After another slow start, the kind that has plagued the Bruins in the series, they found a way to survive the first period without allowing a goal. And they also took advantage of a power play opportunity late in the opening frame, as David Krejci one-timed a Charlie McAvoy past through Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
The second period, however, is when the Lightning took back over. First, Brayden Point took advantage of another defensive zone turnover by the Bruins off the stick of Kevan Miller. Point snaked around the defense and caught Tuukka Rask slightly out of position to bury the scoring chance and tie the game 1-1.
May 6, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) is congratulated as he scores a goal against the Boston Bruins during the second period of game five of the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Later in the period, the Lightning capitalized on a power play off a tripping penalty for Patrice Bergeron. After cycling around the Bruins’ penalty kill, J.T. Miller fired the puck over Rask’s shoulder short-side to give the Lightning the lead.
Although Rask was able to make several timely saves to keep the Bruins’ season alive in the third period, they couldn’t muster enough offense to generate quality scoring chances. David Pastrnak had a pair of golden opportunities late in the third, but Vasilevskiy was there to stop both. The Lightning goalie stepped up in a last-ditch surge for the Bruins to close the door on the series.
Tampa’s 3-1 lead held up, and now the Lightning are moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals while the Bruins are left to wonder what went wrong after a dominant Game 1 win.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
