The Boston Bruins inched closer to their first Stanley Cup Finals in more than 20 years after a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday put them one win away from clinching the Eastern Conference title.
The Bruins squandered a 3-0 lead in Game 4 on Saturday to let Tampa Bay even the series, but after falling behind in the first period on Monday they rallied with two goals in the second and a late empty-netter to move to the brink of their first Cup finals since 1990.
“Tampa Bay showed character by turning it around after the first period in their building and we showed character by turning it around in our building,” Boston goaltender Tim Thomas told reporters.
Photo: AFP
Thomas was on top form on Monday with a sprawling stick save on a shot from Steve Downie in the third period one of the highlights of his 33 saves.
Boston can clinch the best-of-seven series with a win in Game 6 today in Tampa Bay.
The Lightning had hoped to ride the momentum from Saturday’s 5-3 comeback win by starting Mike Smith in net after his perfect 21-save performance in relief of Dwayne Roloson.
Tampa Bay’s Simon Gagne scored just 1 minute, 9 seconds into the game and the Lightning controlled the opening period, outshooting the home side 14-4, but Boston’s Nathan Horton tied the game after 4:24 of the second and Brad Marchand put the Bruins ahead 11 minutes later.
In the final minute, Tampa Bay pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker looking for the equalizer, but Rich Peverley capitalized on the empty net to score and seal the 3-1 win.
While the Lightning are down, they are certainly not out of the series. They won three consecutive games to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a seventh game in the first round.
Tampa Bay must also decide whether to start Roloson or Smith in Game 6.
“They were playing a little bit of mind games [before Game 5], they knew who they were going to start, but we knew either way we had to get shots in front of their goalie. We did that pretty good tonight,” Marchand said.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS