Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Lightning take 3-1 series lead
LIGHTNING 4, BRUINS 3 (OT)
BOSTON — Dan Girardi scored 3:18 into overtime on Friday night to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins and a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Lightning jumped ahead 2-0 for the second consecutive game. But this time Boston answered with three consecutive goals, including a short-handed score by Patrice Bergeron — his second of the game — to break a third-period tie.
Steven Stamkos tied it 3-3 with seven minutes left in regulation. Girardi ended it when he got a stick on a pass from Alex Killorn that was deflected off Brian Gionta’s skate in the crease.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for the Lightning, who will have a chance to clinch it at home on Sunday.
Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots for the Bruins.
Two nights after scoring twice in the first 3:19 for a lead they would never relinquish, the Lightning again opened a 2-0 lead. Brayden
Point scored about five minutes in when he split defenders Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy at the blue line and then faked out Rask in the crease.
With the Bruins already a man down, Chara then backhanded the puck over the glass on a clearing attempt for another penalty. It was back to 5-on-4 when Nikita Kucherov made it 2-0 midway through the period on a power-play one-timer from the faceoff circle.
But David Pastrnak onetimed a golf-shot into the net to make it 2-1 after one, and then the Bruins tied it early in the second on a give-and-go from Bergeron to Torey Krug and back to Bergeron.
Boston was back on the penalty kill six minutes into the third when Brad Marchand chased down a puck in the Lightning end and then delivered a cross pass that Bergeron redirected into the net.
Tampa Bay tied it with seven minutes left after Kucherov knocked McAvoy down for the turnover behind the Bruins net and the puck worked its from to J.T. Miller and then Stamkos in the slot for a one-timer to tie it 3-all with seven minutes left in regulation.
Marchand continued his habit of licking opponents — this time Ryan Callahan. The two went nose-to-nose after a whistle with 1:21 left in the second, before Marchand leaned in and tried to lick Callahan’s face. The Lightning forward pushed him away.
Referee Francois St. Laurent took a spill in the first minute of the third period and crashed head- and shoulder-first into the boards behind the Lightning net. He remained in the game.
THURSDAY’S LATE GAME PREDATORS 2, JETS 1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Pekka Rinne made 32 saves, P.K. Subban and Ryan Hartman scored and the Nashville Predators held off a late charge by the Winnipeg Jets to win Thursday night and even their second-round series through four games.
Patrik Laine scored off a faceoff in the final minute, but Nashville’s Nick Bonino won two key faceoffs after that to end it.
Game 5 will be tonight in Nashville, with Game 6 set for Winnipeg on Monday. Game 7, if necessary, would be in Nashville next Thursday.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 27 shots, but Nashville snapped Winnipeg’s 13game home winning streak, which dated to March 2.
Rinne allowed five goals amid a series of defensive miscues in a 7-4 Game 3 defeat. He rebounded impressively behind a team that was much sharper in its own end.
The Jets found far less space in the neutral zone, but also saw a couple of golden opportunities bounce over their sticks.
The Predators led 1-0 after the first period and stretched their lead with 5:24 left in the second when Subban blasted a one-timer on Nashville’s first power play.
The Jets had a couple of great chances to tie it earlier in the period. Kyle Connor missed on a pass from Bryan Little in the slot on a power play, and Mark Scheifele let the puck skip over his stick on a 2-on-1 with Blake Wheeler moments before Subban silenced the crowd with his goal.
Laine scored on a 6-on-4 with 50.2 seconds left in the third — his third of the playoffs and first of the series — but the Predators held on from there to wrestle back home-ice advantage.