Boston Bruins vs Tampa Bay Lightning Match Player Stats On Mar 03, 2020

Boston's Jake DeBrusk scored the game-winning goal in his 200th NHL game Tuesday night, sending the Bruins to a 2-1 win over the host Tampa Bay Lightning in a matchup of the Eastern Conference's top two clubs.

Brad Marchand notched his 28th marker, and Torey Krug, David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle assisted on goals for Boston, which earned its league-best 42nd victory and has won 14 of 17, including three in a row.

Tuukka Rask stopped 20 of 21 shots to go to 12-3-1 in his last 16 games.

Mitchell Stephens scored, and Tyler Johnson and Barclay Goodrow recorded helpers. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy posted 33 saves for the Lightning, who fell to 1-5-1 in their last six games since an 11-game win streak.

The Lightning played their third straight game without captain Steven Stamkos (core muscle surgery), who scored game-winners (one in a shootout) in both previous meetings with Boston this season.

The Bruins' forecheck in the first period dictated much of the play and kept the puck around Vasilevskiy.

Marchand, a game-time decision who didn't participate in morning skate due to illness, put the visitors on the board in the frame's final minute. With Boston cycling the puck around the offensive zone, Krug sent a pass from above the right circle through the crease, where the hard-charging Marchand shoved in the puck at 19:05.

Yanni Gourde appeared to even it at one in the second when he buried a long blast at 5:24. But Boston quickly challenged the call, and Johnson was ruled offside and the goal overturned.

DeBrusk beat defenseman Zach Bogosian to a loose puck in the neutral zone, fell to the ice, regained his footing and beat Vasilevskiy with a forehand shot on the breakaway at 10:05 of the second to make it 2-0. The goal, DeBrusk's 19th, was his first in 11 games.

Stephens found Johnson's rebound after a long shift and whipped in his third goal at 17:28 of the second, but the Bruins outshot the home side 17-5 in the period -- which ended with Boston's Joakim Nordstrom and Gourde in a heated fight and the teams separated at the horn.

Rask stuffed Anthony Cirelli on a breakaway 5:06 into the third, and with Vasilevskiy on the bench with a minute to play, the Bruins held on for their first win in three games (1-1-1) against Tampa Bay this year.

The Atlantic Division teams meet for the final time in the regular season Saturday night in Boston.

--Field Level Media