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.
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Arsenal stormed six points clear at the top of the English Premier League as Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres put Fulham to the sword in a 3-0 win, while West Ham United’s defeat at Brentford offered Tottenham Hotspur a lifeline in the battle for survival. The Gunners have stumbled toward the finish line in their quest for a first league title in 22 years, blowing a sizeable lead over Manchester City in a series of nervous displays. However, the return of Saka, making his first start in six weeks, freed up Mikel Arteta’s men in a dominant performance that shrugged
Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday said that she hoped she would be able to play tennis under the Belarusian flag after the International Olympic Committee lifted its ban on the country’s athletes competing in the Olympics. World No. 1 Sabalenka has had to compete under a neutral banner as a consequence of her country’s support for Russia following its ally’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The IOC earlier on Thursday lifted its ban on Belarusian athletes competing in the Olympics, although restrictions on Russian athletes remain in place. Asked whether the women’s tour would drop the ban on her representing her country, Sabalenka said:
RSS