Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. ó Tim Thomas rebounded from two tough games in grand fashion.
Thomas made 31 saves for his first playoff shutout this season and second overall, Andrew Ference and David Krejci scored and the Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
ěThat felt more like a normal game,î Thomas said. ěThat felt like the game we played most of the season. Playoffs are always faster and more energy and a few more scoring chances than a regular-season game, but that was Boston Bruins hockey.î
Thomas, the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the top regular-season goalie, gave up nine goals in the first two games of the series.
ěAs the game goes on, he keeps making saves, feels better about himself and is gaining confidence,î Lightning right winger Martin St. Louis said. ěWeíve just got make his game a little tougher and we didnít do that. Chew on it for 10 minutes and get back to work.î
Ference made it 2-0 with a shot from point at 8:12 of the third when the puck trickled between goalie Dwayne Rolosonís legs and into the net.
Game 4 is Saturday in Tampa.
Patrice Bergeron returned to Bostonís lineup after missing two games because of a concussion sustained when he was hit by Philadelphiaís Claude Giroux in the final game of the second round. He had two shots, won 18 of 28 faceoffs and played 19 minutes, 13 seconds.
ěYou could see the difference he makes,î coach Claude Julien said.
Krejci was alone in the low slot and opened the scoring on a backhander just 1:09 into the first. Boston is 7-0 during the postseason when scoring the first goal of the game.
ěOne big mistake,î Lightning coach Guy Boucher said.
Krejci was briefly shaken up late in the first when he was hit in the neutral zone by Tampa Bay defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron, who received a minor penalty for elbowing.
Both teams were looking to play tighter defense after combining for 18 goals in the first two games.
Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos said before the game that the Lightning wanted to avoid ěrun and gun hockey.î Boston center Brad Marchand added that both teams hoped to ěbuckle downî on defense.
Stamkos had three shot as the Lightning outshot Boston 10-8 during the first. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara made a nice defensive play during the period to break up a Tampa Bay 2-on-1.
ěWe got some chances and their goalie made some good saves,î Stamkos said. ěWeíre not panicking. Weíve got to be ready for the next one.î
Thomas made a strong save in the first on St. Louisí shot from the low right circle. The goalie stopped 15 shots in the third.
Roloson finished with 23 saves.
ěBoth goalies made huge saves,î Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said. ěThis just felt more normal. I think both teams got more towards the type of game they wanted. I think it was a lot more typical and expected from us.î
NOTES: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman attended the game. … Tampa Bay D Pavel Kubina didnít play and hasnít resumed practicing. Kubina has been out since the first game of the conference semifinals against Washington when his head went into the glass on a hit. … Bruins LW Milan Lucic played with a sore right foot and had an assist. … Krejci has six goals and 11 points over his last seven games.
The Associated Press
05/19/11 23:50