The Bruins experienced yet another home loss this season Sunday night. Tampa Bay Lightning came to visit the Garden and they put the hurt on the Bruins. The Bruins scored first thanks to Kevin Miller, but that was the only goal. However, the Lightning didn’t stop finding the back of the net. They pounded Tuukka Rask all night, making the final score 4-1. Lightning scored on a two on none breakaway, two power plays and one more final shot.
Many Bruins players were often falling over themselves and getting too many penalties. It was a rough night at the Garden for the Bruins and Bruins fans.
When asked about the game, Bruins coach Claude Julien said, “That’s part of the story tonight: The self-inflicted mistakes that we made, the amount of breakaways and those kinds of things. The penalty kill wasn’t good enough for us, and then the power play...we didn’t produce.” Saying that they didn’t “produce” on the power play is an understatement. The Bruins had six power plays and couldn’t find the back of the net on any of them.Lightning forward Tyler Johnson took a puck in the face during the third, and was taken out of the game while he bled all over the ice.
I was at the game and I began to talk to the fellow fan in the seat next to me. When I noticed the Bruins seemed to be struggling so I asked the man and he said, “This is typical [Claude] Julien style. Get into their end, pass the puck back and forth and wait for an opening. But this isn’t 2011 anymore and he doesn’t have the same people anymore. The game is changing but Julien is not.”
But this isn’t about the Bruins play style and how that needs to change (maybe for another time that can be discussed).
Here is some number and stats about the Bruins and Lightning. The Lightning have won 14 games in a row when they have scored three or more goals and this game now makes it the fourth-straight road game the Lightning have won. The Bruins now are 7-3 when wearing their third uniform. Steven Stamkos is now 2-6 on penalty shots in his career.