Lightning Vs. Bruins, Game 2: Seguin’s Four-Point Period Puts Boston Up 6-3 After Two

After their dominating play netted them only one goal in the first period, the Boston Bruins poured it on, scoring three goals in the first 6:30 of the second period, and two in the waning minutes on the power play. The Tampa Bay Lightning drew back within one, but after two periods, Boston leads Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final by a score of 6-3 at TD Garden.

After Tampa Bay scored 13 seconds into the opening period, the Bruins struck at 48 seconds of the second period. Michael Ryder sprung a breaking Tyler Seguin down the middle. Seguin faked Dwayne Roloson to his backhand, and flipped it past Thomas. Seguin’s now a goal-a-game player after being scratched for the first two rounds, and the Bruins had tied it at 2-2.

The Bruins kept it coming less than two minutes later. Dennis Seidenberg sent a pass in front that David Krejci barely got a piece of, but got enough of it to send it skidding past Roloson to make it 3-2 Bruins, giving Boston their first lead in the series. It was Krejci’s sixth of the post-season to put Boston up at 2:24. The Bruins scored two goals in 1:36 of elapsed time.

Boston was not done still, and it was their much-maligned second pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to get them ahead by two. A clearing attempt gave Nathan Horton a 2-on-1 with Tyler Seguin. Horton fed a pass across for Seguin, who sent a wicked wrister that went past Roloson, in perhaps the first real stoppable shot that Roloson let in. Seguin now has three goals in two games of post-season action, after scoring only 11 in the regular season. It was also the third point of the game for Horton at 6:30 to make it 4-2.

The Lightning were by no means out of it, however, and it was their captain to get them back within a goal on a power play. After Mark Recchi went off for a cross checking minor at 10:18, the Bolts made quick work of the Boston penalty kill. A slap shot by Vincent Lecavalier went through the five hole of Thomas to make it 4-3. Lecavalier’s figured on all three Tampa Bay goals, and now has 15 points in the post-season.

The Bruins got another power play chance, however, and it was Seguin once again the catalyst. He took a quick wrister that was knocked down by Michael Ryder in front of the net. Ryder had the presence of mind to control it and flip a back-hander past the short side of Roloson. It was Ryder’s third goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Seguin’s third point of the game, to make it 5-3 Boston at 16:16. It was also the second power play goal of the game for Boston, after getting two for the entirety of the playoffs before tonight.

Ryder struck again late. In a game where goals have been scored in the first and last minute of each of the first two periods, it was Seguin finding Chris Kelly for a quick shot that Roloson denied, but Ryder was right there for the rebound, getting his second consecutive goal and fourth of the post-season. It was the fifth goal of the period for Boston, and the fourth point of the period for the rookie Seguin. This period is an early turning point in the series for the Bruins, but only if they can eek out a win, as there’s still a lot of hockey to be played. You never know in this post-season.