Stamkos scores in OT, Lightning defeat Bruins

BOSTON-- Steven Stamkos scored 1:31 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday.

Stamkos scored with a slap shot on a 2-on-1 with Mikhail Sergachev seconds after Bruins forward David Pastrnak could not score on a breakaway.
"I had a lot of time to think about what to do. ... I just wanted to blast one there, and it's nice to see it go in," Stamkos said. "[Andrei Vasilevskiy] stole us one tonight, no doubt about that. I know we had the two-goal lead, but it didn't really feel that way."
Vasilevskiy made 37 saves, and Taylor Raddysh and Ondrej Palat scored for the Lightning (14-5-4).
"In an 82-game league, it's hard to play your best, and sometimes you have some stinkers. Tonight was a stinker," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "[Vasilevskiy] was on, which we needed. … We came out with two points against [an Atlantic Division] rival, so we'll take these and run."
Charlie Coyle and Curtis Lazar scored for the Bruins (12-8-1). Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves.
"I think our guys played real well tonight, especially being down 2-0 to that team, but even when we were down 2-0, we were playing a good, solid game," Boston assistant coach Joe Sacco said. "We played hard tonight and competed. Really nobody took the night off. ... Unfortunately we don't get the end result, but we can build off that game for sure."

Raddysh scored his first NHL goal to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead at 14:13 of the first period, finishing a shorthanded move on his backhand.
"It's awesome [to get my first goal]. I've kind of been waiting a little too long for it," Raddysh said after playing his 22nd NHL game. "It's nice to finally get it, and get the win in the end. ... I'll take them any way they come. They're not easy to get."
Palat made it 2-0 at 3:36 of the second period after his slap pass deflected off Bruins forward Tomas Nosek.
Coyle made it 2-1 at 16:30. Vasilevskiy saved Craig Smith's shot, and Erik Haula passed between his legs to Coyle, who scored on a one-timer.
"It's nice when it clicks right away when you find new linemates and get rewarded," Coyle said. "It's a heck of a play [by Haula]. ... That was all about a shot mentality."
Lazar tied it 2-2 at 4:44 of the third period with his first of the season, a backhand after making a move to the slot.
"I thought the puck was finding me tonight, and instead of just shooting, I thought I'd try and make a move," Lazar said. "I love my backhand. ... That's kind of my go-to shot, so I was glad to see that one go in. ... I want to help out on the scoreboard as best I can, even though that's not my main priority."

Stamkos scored his 10th regular-season overtime goal, tying Martin St. Louis for most in Lightning history. He also tied St. Louis for most game-winning goals (64).
NOTES: Tampa Bay did not have a shot on goal until 12:31 when Swayman saved Victor Hedman's slap shot. The Bruins outshot the Lightning 38-21 before overtime. ... Raddysh became the fifth Tampa Bay player to score his first NHL goal shorthanded, joining Aaron Gavey (Oct. 21, 1995), Sami Helenius (Jan. 30, 1999), Eric Perrin (Nov. 2, 2006) and Yanni Gourde (March 11, 2017). ... Bruins center Patrice Bergeron won 21 of his 26 face-offs (80.8 percent). It was the eighth time he had a face-off win percentage of 80.8 percent or higher (minimum 20 face-offs taken). … This was the first game between the Bruins and Lightning since Game 5 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Second Round, when Hedman scored the series-clinching goal in the second overtime. ... The Lightning (209-82-22, 440 points) and Bruins (188-82-41, 417 points) are first and second in NHL standings points since the start of the 2017-18 season.