Lightning down Bruins, force Game 7

Dwayne Roloson improved to 7-0 in post-season elimination games and Martin St. Louis scored two goals and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning forced a Game 7 on Friday by defeating the Boston Bruins 5-4 at the St. Pete Times Forum on Wednesday.

The Lightning used three straight power-play goals to eliminate a one-goal deficit in the second, leading 4-2 early in the third period.

David Krejci had a hat trick for the Bruins, who were unable to complete the third period comeback. Milan Lucic opened the scoring for Boston before Krejci took over the offence.

Teddy Purcell also had a pair of goals for the Lightning while Steven Stamkos had the other as the Lightning improved to 4-0 when facing elimination this post-season.

BOXSCORE

Mike Smith made 17 saves in Game 5 but Roloson was back between the pipes for the Lightning in Game 6. After Guy Boucher was quiet on who would start in the previous contest, he wasted no time naming Roloson starter for Wednesday’s matchup.

The Lightning netminder only needed to make 16 saves while his counterpart, Tim Thomas, allowed five goals on 26 shots.

Vincent Lecavalier’s clean face-off win allowed Purcell to fire the first shot of the night past Thomas. The goal, just 36 seconds into the game, gave the Lightning an early 1-0 lead and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

Lucic snapped a shot through the legs of Victor Hedman into the top corner, tying the game 1-1 at 7:09. Nathan Horton spotted Lucic speeding through the neutral zone, allowing the Vancouver native to bury his third goal of the post-season.

After failing to convert on two power-play chances, the Bruins took the 2-1 lead when Krejci fired his eighth of the playoffs over Roloson’s shoulder. Daniel Paille assisted on the go-ahead goal at 16:30.

Boston scored two goals on only eight shots, while holding the Lightning to just four in the opening frame.

Approaching the midway point of the game, St. Louis scored a power-play goal, tying the game 2-2. Tampa Bay’s big guns delivered on the man advantage as Lecavalier and Stamkos assisted on the goal.

Six and a half minutes later, Tampa Bay used another power-play goal to take the 3-2 lead with 6:25 remaining in the second. Purcell fired a Steve Downie pass past Thomas for his second of the game.

The Lightning opened the final period on the power play and for a third straight time they scored with the man-advantage, pushing their lead to 4-2. Stamkos hammered a one-timer into the top of the net just 36 seconds into the stanza. Eric Brewer delivered the puck to the young sniper who made no mistake.

Krejci scored a power-play goal for the Bruins making it 4-3 with 10:14 remaining in regulation. The goal was Boston’s first road power-play marker of the series.

Just 31-seconds later, St. Louis restored the Bolts’ two-goal advantage, converting a give and go with Downie after a flip pass from Stamkos sprung the Lightning rush.

Krejci completed his hat trick with 6:32 remaining, sliding a loose puck past Roloson, making it 5-4.

The goal gave Krejci the playoff lead in goals with 10, one ahead of Tampa Bay’s Sean Bergenheim, who did not play after leaving Game 5 in the first period with an undisclosed injury.

About this article

By: Michael Gomes
Posted: May 25 2011 11:49 pm
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Filed under: Sports Stanley Cup Playoffs
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