Lightning 5, Bruins 4
Hart Trophy finalist Martin St. Louis and Teddy Purcell collected two goals apiece as the Tampa Bay Lightning forced a decisive seventh game in the Eastern Conference final with a 5-4 home triumph over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
Steven Stamkos recorded a goal and two assists and captain Vincent Lecavalier and Steve Downie both set up a pair of goals for fifth-seeded Tampa Bay, which will head to Beantown for Game 7 on Friday night.
After being pulled in a pair of contests in this series before sitting out Game 5, Dwayne Roloson got the start on Wednesday. The 41-year-old netminder turned aside 16 shots, although he yielded a hat trick to David Krejci.
Following an 0-for-9 effort in its previous three games, Tampa Bay scored on its first three power-play opportunities in this one.
St. Louis knotted the contest at 2-2 just 7:55 into the session after backhanding a loose puck past Vezina Trophy finalist Tim Thomas, who had lost possession of his stick prior to the goal.
Purcell then recorded his second of the night after taking a brilliant feed from Downie and wiring a shot which handcuffed Thomas. The puck caromed off the All-Star netminder's blocker and hip before settling in the back of the net. Purcell had opened the scoring 36 seconds into the game after Lecavalier had won a faceoff in the offensive end.
Stamkos provided some insurance just 34 seconds into the third period by blasting a shot from the left faceoff circle.
Krejci sandwiched a pair of goals just under four minutes apart after St. Louis converted a 2-on-1 with Downie midway through the third period. For Krejci, it was the first Bruins' postseason hat trick since Cam Neely accomplished the feat in 1991.
Milan Lucic collected a goal and an assist, defenseman Tomas Kaberle and Nathan Horton set up a pair of goals apiece and Thomas finished with 21 saves for third-seeded Boston.