Rask helps Bruins hold off Lightning

Charlie McAvoy and Riley Nash scored firstperiod goals, Tuukaa Rask made 19 saves to snap his four-game losing streak and the Boston Bruins hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.

Torey Krug also scored and Brad Marchand assisted on the first two goals for the Bruins, who opened a 3-0 lead to post their fifth win in six games. Boston improved to 13-3 in its last 16 at home against the Lightning.

Steven Stamkos and Andrej Sustr scored for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves. Tampa Bay, which entered the game with the NHL’s best record, lost for the third time in four games following a season-high five-game winning streak.

Criticized lately for his uneven play combined with recent solid performances by backup Anton Khudobin, Rask raised his record to just 4-8-2 this season. Khudobin is 7-0-2.

Rask flashed his pad to block Ryan Callahan’s tip from in close late in the game.

The Bruins came out strong in the opening period, firing 19 shots on goal en route to a 2-0 lead after one.

McAvoy snapped off a shot from the right circle that slipped through a crowd of players and past Vasilevskiy to make it 1-0 at 7:27. Originally, it was waved off for goaltender interference with Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand at the edge of the crease, but Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the call and it was overturned.