It wasn’t the prettiest game, but it was the one the Lightning needed. Tampa Bay held off a late Bruins push to earn a 4–3 divisional win at TD Garden on Monday afternoon.
Anthony Cirelli got the Lightning started early, centering a pass from Jake Guentzel 1:09 into the first period. Then Cirelli struck again with seven minutes left in the frame, snapping a shot past Joonas Korpisalo’s glove to make it 2–0 heading into the first intermission.
The two early goals were exactly the kind of jump-start the team needed. The Lightning came into Monday’s matchup in an unfamiliar spot, starting the season 0–2 for the first time since 2008–09, back when Steven Stamkos was a rookie, and well before Jon Cooper took over as head coach.
After struggling through slow second periods in their first two games, the Lightning looked sharp early, with Yanni Gourde scoring just 39 seconds in, giving them a 3–0 lead.
Boston answered immediately, as Casey Mittelstadt’s wrist shot cut the deficit to 3–1. For the most part, the Lightning held their own, keeping Boston at bay.
Pontus Holmberg, one of GM Julien BriseBois’ offseason signings, put away a rebound to make it 4–1 in the second. Holmberg's goal was the payoff for Jon Cooper’s early-afternoon lineup shuffle. Guentzel shifted back from the first line to play alongside Cirelli and Gage Goncalves, while Holmberg moved up to skate with Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The result? Those two lines combined for all four Lightning goals.
Then the Lightning let the Bruins claw their way back, giving up three goals in the second period. Less than two minutes after Holmberg scored, a miscue by Erik Cernak set up a 2-on-1 that the Bruins finished cleanly, bringing the game within two.
“There was a lot of winning hockey in there, and the reason we went a little bit of a step back and gave it up was because we got away from winning hockey,” said Cooper. “Cerny would be the first to tell you, probably a tough pinch on his part.”
Morgan Geekie brought the Bruins within one 11:35 in the second period. Geekie's goal turned the closing minutes of the game into a nail-biter, with Tampa Bay scrambling to protect their 4-3 lead in the third.
It came down to the final seconds, with Boston pressing on a 5-on-3 in the Lightning zone. Three icing calls in the last four minutes meant they had to win it in the faceoff circle, something the Lightning struggled with all afternoon and against the Devils on Saturday.
Cirelli’s defensive-zone faceoff win with nine seconds left sealed it, giving the Lightning their first win of the season.
“There was so much good about (Monday), and there were a lot of winning habits. We’ve just got to keep shuffling the losing ones out," said Cooper.
The Lightning will complete their back-to-back on Tuesday against the Captials in Washington D.C.