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Boston Bruins

Bruins clinch first Atlantic Division title since 2020 in win over Lightning

Matt Dolloff March 25th

The Bruins held on for a 2-1 home win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday at TD Garden, with Garnet Hathaway scoring the game-winner. Boston officially clinched the Atlantic Division title with the win, its first crown since 2020.

Things got wild as early as possible between the two teams, with a pair of scraps breaking out just nine seconds into the game. Hathaway and the Lightning’s Pat Maroon squared off in a heavyweight bout to land them both in the penalty box for five minutes. Jakub Lauko and Ross Colton crashed to the ice in a tussle of their own, with Colton earning the extra two minutes for roughing and putting the B’s on their first power play.

  • The Bruins had a frustrating result coming out of the first, a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard despite a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal and five power play opportunities. Boston went 1-for-5 on the man advantage, but also allowed a shorthanded goal to even things up.

    Patrice Bergeron put the Bruins up 1-0 after a Brad Marchand shot toward the net deflected off the captain’s skate and in. The B’s cashed in on a Pat Maroon penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, one of four Tampa Bay infractions within the first 10 minutes of the game.

    Bergeron is now just three goals shy of 30 on the season, a mark he hasn’t reached since he scored 31 in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season.

  • Victor Hedman scored the equalizer less than three minutes later, after pressure from the Tampa penalty kill forced a turnover from the Bruins’ second power play unit. Hedman ripped a missile that deflected off Charlie McAvoy’s stick on the way to the net, and Bruins galtender Linus Ullmark got a piece of it but not quite enough, making it 1-1

  • After playing to a stalemate for nearly the entire second period, Hathaway put the Bruins back on top. Matt Grzelcyk threw the puck on net from the point, then Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy couldn’t quite handle the rebound, as Hathaway gave it a good smack to knock it in for the 2-1 lead.

  • That’s how the score would hold, as both teams missed multiple opportunities in a scoreless third. Ullmark ultimately stopped 25 of 26 shots to improve to 36-5-1 on the season.

    There’s a quick turnaround for the Bruins, who have to head out on the road to Raleigh for a showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

  • Click here for complete Boston Bruins coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

    Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster 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? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

NEXT: Canadiens learn the hard way not to mess with Patrice Bergeron

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