BOSTON — Claude Julien still does not like shootouts. But at least his Boston Bruins finally found a way to win one on Thursday night.
They also beat the potential playoff opponent Tampa Bay Lightning for the 10th straight time.
“I’m not hypocritical. I’m not going to pretend I like it,” the Boston coach said after his team ended a seven-shootout losing streak and pulled out a 3-2 victory. “I like the win, but I gave my opinion before.”
Center Patrice Bergeron, who scored Boston’s first goal in regulation, and left winger Brad Marchand beat former University of Maine standout Ben Bishop, while Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask ended his own seven-shootout losing run in Boston’s first shootout win since Nov. 21.
Rask was a perfect 2 of 2, with one of the shots hitting the post, capping an outstanding 35-save night.
“Never been a fan of them, and never will be,” Rask said of shootouts. “That’s about it.”
The Bruins won their fourth straight game and moved to within two points of the Washington Capitals for the top wild-card spot (with a game in hand). They also moved to within five points of the Detroit Red Wings for third place in the Atlantic Division
The game also featured a crazy overtime that saw the teams play some 3-on-3 (a sign of the future?) and also saw Tampa star Steven Stamkos receive a 10-minute misconduct for flipping what was left of his broke stick into the crowd. That made Stamkos, who scored his 37th goal in the game, unavailable for the shootout, but he is 0 of 3 this year and 3 of 20 over the last five seasons in the skills competition.
“It’s a preview, right, of what they’re going to be talking about,” said Julien, talking about the chances of games going to 3-on-3 after the 4-on-4 first OT. “So, no doubt there’s a lot more room for the skilled players and we had some great opportunities on it.”
As far as Stamkos being absent for the shootout, Bergeron said, “Definitely something that we’ll take. He’s definitely a threat every time he’s on the ice and obviously in the shootout as well. He’s one of the best in the game so we’ll take it.”
And Stamkos said he was OK with the point, coming after a 1-0 overtime win at Montreal Tuesday night.
“We’re not satisfied with the one but when you go on the road, Montreal, Boston, and you get three out of four points at this time of the year, definitely we’ll take that,” he said.
The point moved the Lightning into a tie with Montreal atop the Atlantic, although the Canadiens have a game in hand
Rask, in goal for the seven straight shootout losses, improved to 9-2 lifetime against the Lightning, and to 17-21 in shootouts. Bishop, who stopped 28 shots in the 65 minutes of play but gave up a soft goal to Bergeron, fell to 0-4-1 against Boston.
The Lightning erased a pair of one-goal leads, with Stamkos stealing the puck from defenseman Zdeno Chara and scoring to tie it at 1-1 in the first — and center Vladislav Namestnikov potting a rebound 8:04 into the third.
Rookie Right winger David Pastrnak and Bergeron scored in regulation for Boston. Pastrnak’s left skate directed rookie center Ryan Spooner’s pass into the net. It looked like a kick but the goal held up under review. Pastrnak was robbed by Bishop in overtime.
Bergeron put the Bruins ahead 2:20 into the third period when his shot from just in front of the blue line sailed past Bishop, who should have had it.
Spooner, summoned from the minors when David Krejci went down with a knee injury, extended his points streak to seven straight games (three goals, five assists) with an assist on the game’s first goal.
NOTES: Boston fourth-liners C Gregory Campbell and LW Daniel Paille were both cut by pucks in the first period and returned after repair, Campbell wearing a half shield. … The Bruins scored first for the 10th consecutive game. … Bruins C David Krejci, who missed his ninth straight game with an MCL tear, skated on his own for the past three days. There was no word on when he would join his teammates. … The Lightning open a six-game homestand against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. The Bruins visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for a Saturday matinee.