Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins

Stamkos scores in OT to lead Lightning past Bruins 3-2

“In an 82-game league, it's hard to play your best. Sometimes you have stinkers,” coach Jon Cooper said after the Lightning won for the eighth time in 11 games. “Tonight was a stinker.”

Taylor Raddysh had his first career goal, a short-handed score in the first period, and Ondrej Palat also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 37 shots.

“He stole one for us tonight. There's no doubt about it,” said Stamkos, who recorded a point for the sixth straight game. “He was amazing tonight. He was the difference-maker.”

Charlie Coyle and Curtis Lazar scored after the Bruins fell behind 2-0 early in the second period. Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for the Bruins, who outshot the Lightning 39-25.

“I know we had a two-goal lead,” Stamkos said. “It didn’t really feel that way.”

“I've been waiting a little too long for it,” said Raddysh, a 23-year-old rookie playing in his 22nd NHL game, who was announced for a goal at home on Tuesday night before it was taken away and credited to Anthony Cirelli. “Back of my mind last 10-15 games.”

The Bruins finally broke through against Vasilevskiy late in the second, when Erik Haula slid it between his legs backwards to Coyle in front of the net. In the third, Lazar picked up the puck at the left circle, skated it to the net and then backhanded it off the top shelf on the goalie’s glove side.

Top Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was scratched from the game with a non-COVID illness. The Bruins recalled defenseman Jack Ahcan, along with forward Oskar Steen, from Providence of the AHL earlier in the day.

The Bruins were also without coach Bruce Cassidy, who was placed in the league’s COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday. Assistant Joe Sacco has run the bench the last three games.

UP NEXT

Lightning: At Philadelphia on Sunday night.

Bruins: At Vancouver on Wednesday night.

TB leads series 1-0