Bruins Postgame: Tired Bruins Lose 3-1 To Lightning

The Boston Bruins couldn’t muster up the emotion they had in a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night and lost 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.

The Bruins could’ve clinched a 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs berth with a point in this game, and with a win, they could’ve leapfrogged the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.

Danton Heinen had the lone goal for the Bruins, and goalie Linus Ullmark made 27 saves.

Forwards Mitchell Chaffee, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov lit the lamp for the Lightning. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves.

If the 2023-24 regular season ended on Wednesday night, the Bruins and Lightning would face each other in the first round of the playoffs.

Here’s your Boston Hockey Now Bruins Postgame:

CLUTCH: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point is absolutely en fuego. Point entered this game on a three-game goal streak with five goals and two assists over that span. He extended that streak with his 42nd goal of the season and what proved to be the game-winning goal 6:50 into the third period.

Brayden Point scores on the wraparound! 🔄 pic.twitter.com/nHmzdFPscB

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 28, 2024

DOGHOUSE: The stat sheet had the Boston Bruins making just six turnovers on Tuesday night, but man, it seemed like more! That’s probably because three of those six turnovers wound up in the back of the Bruins’ net. The Bruins really struggled with their first outlet pass and also struggled to enter the offensive zone. Too many times, they tried to push a play that wasn’t there. That was the case when former UMass forward Mitchell Chaffee put the Lightning up 1-0 10:06 into the game.

MITCHELL CHAFFEE 🚨

The #GoBolts are on the board.

1-0pic.twitter.com/ZOe3PB3jS2

— Diandra Loux (@Diandra_loux) March 27, 2024

BANGER: In the words of the referee during Dave ‘Killer’ Carlson’s first fight in Slapshot, “Too much, too soon” for Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic in his fight with Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot 17:33 into the first period. Frederic got clocked with an uppercut right off the bat from Jeannot and wound up leaking blood. Jeannot, meanwhile, was an absolute wrecking ball for the Lightning, finishing the game with five hits in 12 hits over 10:37 TOI.

Tanner Jeannot busts open Trent Frederic #GoBolts | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/tQKW73EcVV

— Missin Curfew (@MissinCurfew) March 28, 2024

UNSUNG HERO: He may have had a goal called back thanks to an offsides challenge by the Boston Bruins, but Steven Stamkos showed he’s still got it and that he is part of the engine for the Lightning. The two-time Stanley Cup winner finished the game with five shots, three hits, and one blocked shot in 22 shifts over 22:17 TOI.

NEXT UP: The Bruins head home to Boston on Thursday, practice Friday, and then head to Washington, D.C. to play the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

Boston Bruins Lineup

Forwards

Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Jake DeBrusk

Danton Heinen – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

James van Riemsdyk – Morgan Geekie – Trent Frederic

John Beecher – Jesper Boqvist – Justin Brazeau

Defensemen

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm – Andrew Peeke

Parker Wotherspoon – Brandon Carlo

Goalies

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman