Anthony Cirelli scored the game-winner with 53 seconds left, Steven Stamkos tallied twice in a four-point game, and the host Tampa Bay Lightning rallied past the Boston Bruins 5-4 on Monday night.
Cirelli scored his 18th goal just as a late power play ended, completing Tampa Bay’s third-period comeback from a 4-2 deficit in a battle between the Eastern Conference’s top two teams.
Victor Hedman had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning, who have won 10 of 12 and improved to 20-4-0 against Atlantic Division foes. Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev each had two helpers, Ryan Callahan registered his 200th career assist, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 13 saves for Tampa Bay (59-14-4, 122 points).
Brad Marchand scored a pair of goals, and Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo tallied for the Bruins, who lost for just the fourth time in regulation in their past 25 games.
David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron each had two assists, and goalie Tuukka Rask stopped 23 shots for Boston (46-21-9, 101 points). Stamkos one-timed home his 40th tally on a long diagonal pass from Callahan at 6:42 of the first period. The slapper extended his goal streak to five games. Stamkos achieved the 40-goal milestone for the fifth time, but the first time since the 2014-15 campaign. Marchand answered against the NHL’s top penalty-kill unit with his 33rd goal, finishing a clever backhand pass from Pastrnak at 8:32 on the game’s first power play, but Stamkos blasted his 41st at 14:58.
Boston started to take control in the second period when David Backes’ forecheck sent the puck right to Coyle, who roofed his 12th goal – just his second in 15 games with the Bruins – at 8:42 for a 2-2 tie.
The Bruins’ David Krejci made a slick pass to himself in the defensive end and led a three-on-two rush. The center dished a pass to a trailing Carlo, who fired home his first goal in 44 games for Boston’s first lead at 13:41 of the middle period.
Just over a minute later, Marchand wristed a shot from the low slot, and Vasilevskiy made the initial stop. However, the puck careened high above the goalie and crossed the goal line when it landed at 14:32. Hedman cut Tampa Bay’s deficit to 4-3 at 5:36 of the third period, and Kucherov knotted it 4-4 at 13:15 - both goals off Stamkos assists.
Meanwhile Derek Forbort’s first-minute goal held up as the winner as the visiting Los Angeles Kings rode a 42-save shutout by Jack Campbell to an 3-0 upset victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
The Kings, who sit last in the Western Conference and have long since been eliminated from playoff contention, have won three consecutive games. They also beat the San Jose Sharks, who are second in the Western Conference, during their little spree.
Calgary saw its three-game winning streak end in inglorious fashion. The Flames lost an opportunity to ensure having home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but they remain atop the conference and the Pacific Division. While Campbell was a brick wall for the Kings en route to the second shutout of his season and career, he was provided an early lead when Forbort scored his first goal in 45 games just 57 seconds into the affair. Forbort found the mark with a long wrist shot while Jeff Carter provided a screen.