BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] (3-1-0) fought tooth and nail, but ultimately fell short, 4-3, to the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] (1-2-0) on Monday afternoon inside TD Garden. The Bruins fell behind just 69 seconds into the contest on an Anthony Cirelli goal. Early, sloppy mistakes ended up costing the Bruins in today's game. Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm pointed to both Boston's mistakes and Tampa's urgency, with the Bolts coming in 0-2-0 to begin the season. Joonas Korpisalo and Jonas Johansson received the starts, both backups in due to the early start and condensed nature of the early-season schedule. There are plenty of ways to digest this game. While it's unquestionably frustrating for Boston to lose to a divisional rival, the positives are very evident. Last year if Boston fell behind, they had a tendency to fall inward. Not today. Not Marco Sturm's Boston Bruins. These Bruins counterpunch, and it'd be hard to argue that they didn't deserve an equalizer. Tampa Bay just suffocated them in the third period, blanketing every puck and Boston skater inside their half of the ice. Boston's power play went 0/5, another main reason the team couldn't get that elusive fourth goal. "We were just a little bit too slow," Sturm said. "Yes, plays were there, but just, yeah, our puck speed wasn't there. And we need [power play goals]. Those are the moments in those tight hockey games, especially against a veteran team like Tampa, you gotta grab those moments. We just didn't do it today." Pavel Zacha wasn't thrilled with the man advantage either, but did see some positives. "We missed a couple of plays that were there," Zacha said. "It wasn't our best night for the power play. I think the plays were there to be made, but we just couldn't make them, couldn't score the goal that we needed in the end to make it 4-4. "So, that's something that we have to keep getting better at power play, it's one of the bigger parts of the game, so we have to be better." Despite the fight and opportunities, Sturm indicated he felt the game was lost in the early sloppiness at the beginning of the first and second periods. It began just 1:09 into the game, with Anthony Cirelli tapping in a backdoor feed to put the Lightning up 1-0 after a Charlie McAvoy was pickpocketed by Jake Guentzel. Boston struggled to generate much in the first period, with Tampa posting seven high-danger chances to Boston's two. With 6:44 to go in the first, Cirelli scored his second of the game, again off a Boston turnover, this time courtesy of Nikita Zadorov. As the second period began, Boston needed more energy. Instead, 39 seconds into the frame, Yanni Gourde made it 3-0 off of a ridiculous pass from Pontus Holmberg. From there, Boston could've quit. Could've written it off as a lazy matinee, caught in the gloom of the Nor'Easter in town. Instead, Boston fought back. Casey Mittelstadt tied the game with a rocket of shot exactly 30 seconds after Gourde made it 3-0. Mittelstadt's line, in particular, had their strongest game together as a unit. Mittelstadt felt so, as well. "I think the season as a whole, I think we've gotten better every game," Mittelstadt said. "The setup on paper is very good. So, it's a matter of gelling. Marco has given us a little time to get used to playing with each other... Two-and-a-half minutes later, Boston trailed by three again. Holmberg got away with a clear hold, but it wasn't called, freeing him up for another backdoor tap-in. Again, Boston could've folded. They didn't. Haverhill's own Jordan Harris continued to impress, this time leading a two-on-one with David Pastrnak, pump-faking a pass that both the defender and Johansson bit, allowing him to rip home his first goal as a Bruin. From that goal on, Boston dominated the game. They outshot Tampa, controlled the pace of play, and just outplayed the Bolts. Just past the midway point of the second period, Morgan Geekie made it a one-goal game off of a snipe on a face-off play. From there, Boston had chances and chances to tie the game, but couldn't quite get there. But the heart these Bruins showed was off the charts entirely. Just look at Pastrnak in the last minute of the game. First, Tampa had an empty-net chance to bury Boston. Pastrnak played goalie to deny. Seconds later, Pastrnak put Nikita Kucherov on the ground with a thunderous hit. The impact of these plays are beyond simple comprehension. The effect it has on the room and the guys in it is massive. The officials didn't let them properly go, but Viktor Arvidsson dropped his gloves and went after Brayden Point with 23 seconds left, something Arvidsson's not known for doing. Sturm called Pastrnak "our leader" postgame. Mittelstadt heaved the praise on. "I think it starts with our leaders," Mittelstadt said when asked about the fight and passion Boston showed as they tried to claw back. "I see Pasta playing goalie and taking runs at guys. I think it makes it pretty easy for the rest of us." As Cam Neely would term it, Boston's got piss and vinegar in their veins this year. That alone makes any loss far more digestible, especially one where the team's heart is out on their sleeve. Boston heads out on their first road trip of the season, beginning Thursday night in Vegas next.
