Boston’s Winning Streak Grounded as Lightning Shock Bruins 2-1

The Bruins' three-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Monday night in the Sunshine State as the lowly Lightning fended off Boston 2-1 in Tampa Bay.

Boston fell behind in the first period and it wasn't until Tampa popped a last-second goal in the second period that the Bruins' offense woke up. The Bruins were out-shot 24-6 in the middle frame.

The Black and Gold showed some life with a goal in the third, but it was too little, too late as the Bolts escaped with the slim victory.

Lightning 2, Bruins 1
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
Dec. 28, 2009

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Headliner: Mike Smith kicked aside 31 of 32 shots he faced, leading the Lightning to their fourth win in five games. Smith, who was also able to fend off a last-minute B's power play, was less than eight minutes away from bagging his second shutout of the season before Marco Sturm popped his team-leading 12th goal.

Bolts defenseman Kurtis Foster paced the Lightning offense with a pair of helpers and kept the pressure on Tim Thomas with five shots on net.

Grinder: Tim Thomas took the defeat but the Tank was strong between the pipes, deflecting 37 of 39 shots, including 23-of-24 in the second frame alone.

Tampa's Alex Tanguay got things going in the first period with his sixth tally of the season.

Weak Link: The Bruins were sloppy in the closing minutes of the second as both Vladimir Sobotka (boarding) and Mark Recchi (unsportsmanlike conduct) received penalties, setting up the Bolts' second and eventual game-winning power-play goal. Recchi committed a slashing penalty during the B's power play with just 32 seconds left in regulation.

Key Moment: The Lightning struck for a second time with just seconds remaining in the second frame. Martin St. Louis picked up the power-play tally to make it 2-0 heading into the final frame, with Foster getting his second helper of the night.

What’s Next: The B’s head back to Boston for their first home game in a week as they take on the Thrashers, who ironically were the last ones to face the Bruins at the Garden on Dec. 23.

The B’s took down the Thrashers last week 6-4 thanks to a three-goal onslaught in the first period. Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara each had a goal and two assists, while Mark Recchi and Dennis Wideman each came away with two helpers.