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Boston Bruins Game 3: Lightning Enter The Bear Trap

By Conor Peniston-Bird

TAMPA, FL - APRIL 30: Tampa Bay Lightning defender Braydon Coburn (55) shoots the puck into the attack zone while pressured by Boston Bruins center Sean Kuraly (52) during the second period of an NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoffs game between the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 30, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 30: Tampa Bay Lightning defender Braydon Coburn (55) shoots the puck into the attack zone while pressured by Boston Bruins center Sean Kuraly (52) during the second period of an NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoffs game between the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 30, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Another day and another tight series for the Boston Bruins. The Tampa Bay Lighting were worthy of their win and a split road series puts the pressure on the Bruins, just a little.

Home Ice Advantage

The Boston Bruins are 13-3 in their last 16 games at TD Garden. A daunting prospect for the visiting Lightning, especially considering the Maple Leafs went 3-1 in Boston in round one. The Boston roar will be loud tonight and should give the players that extra juice to go on and punish this Tampa team.

Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov

Rather shockingly two of the best players in the entire league were kept off the scoresheet for the second consecutive game. For the Lightning to see off the Bruins in Game 2 without their two top players making it on the scoresheet is quite something.

Surely not a third successive game?

Face-Off Head Scratching

Patrice Bergeron has been chucked out of the face-off circle a ridiculous amount of times this post-season. Bruce Cassidy had this to say to NESN:

“I was told in the Toronto series that the issue early on in the series that was brought up by the opposition was they didn’t think the center icemen were stopping, coming to a stop before the puck was dropped,” Cassidy said Tuesday.

Next: Playoff Officiating Has Been Woeful

Tampa have bested Boston in 59 of 109 face-offs in this series thus far. With Bergeron such a dominant face-off man, the Bruins have suffered with their talisman being thrown out of the dot.

Bruins Lines

Tommy Wingels is getting the nod over Tim Schaller for Game 3.

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak
DeBrusk – Krejci – Rick Nash
Heinen – Riley Nash – Backes
Wingels – Kuraly – Acciari

Chara – McAvoy
Krug – Miller
Grzelcyk – McQuaid

Rask
Khudobin

Predictions

Oh boy. We’ve not done too well thus far this series. Right then,  I believe the Bruins take care of the Lightning tonight 5-2.

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