Steven Stamkos scores league-leading 20th goal to give Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 win over Boston Bruins
If there’s one player in the National Hockey League who has been hot lately, it’s been forward Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos has proven to be a wizard with the puck,
as he has run up an incredible scoring streak. The streak continued as the Lightning scored three unanswered goals in the second period to hand the Boston Bruins a 3-1 loss.
How it happened
Despite numerous chanced to light the lamp, neither team scored any goals in the opening frame. However, that changed in the second period when Tampa Bay scored a trio of unanswered goals.
Dana Tyrell got the ball rolling for the home team at 3:26 when he tipped in a Randy Jones shot. Stamkos then scored his league-leading 20th goal of the season to give the Bolts a 2-0 lead. Teddy Purcell made it a 3-0 game when he beat Tuukka Rask at 11:36.
Going into the third period, the visiting Bruins were down 3-0. Michael Ryder put an end to Mike Smith’s shutout bid at 10:38 with his sixth goal of the season as Boston went into rally
mode. However, the rally was short-lived, as the Bruins failed to add any other goals. As a result, the Lightning earned a big 3-1 victory on home ice.
What they’re saying
The Lightning are currently on a four-game winning streak, thanks in part to the offensive prowess of Stamkos, who says he is happy to contribute in any way he can.
“On this team, we're focused on winning hockey games and that’s it,” Stamkos told reporters after the game. “I just want to chip in offensively whenever I can.”
According to centre Nate Thompson, Stamkos’ scoring abilities aren’t the only reason why the Bolts have been doing well as of late.
“I think we’re playing with confidence and we’ve got a good thing going right now,” Thompson said. “It feels good, but we can’t accept that. We want more. We want to get better.”
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said that the Tampa’s second-period dominance was the deciding factor in the result of the game. Chara believed that his team did not show a strong enough effort,
which allowed the Lightning to take control of the game.
“To win a hockey game, you need to play 60 minutes and that’s what we didn't do,” Chara said. “For the first 40 minutes, Tampa was dominating the game and they deserved to win. It’s too
late when you turn on the engines in the last 20. That’s not good enough.”
Both teams will return to the ice on Wednesday 24 November. Tampa will do battle with the New York Rangers, while Boston hosts the Florida Panthers.
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