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- Pontus Holmberg scores one and Anthony Cirelli puts in two more as Lightning beat Bruins 4-3
Pontus Holmberg scores one and Anthony Cirelli puts in two more as Lightning beat Bruins 4-3
Alright, let's break down this Lightning-Bruins tilt from Monday night, because if you just looked at the final 4-3 score, you missed the whole story. It was one of those games that felt like it was over by the second intermission, only to turn into a white-knuckle thriller in the third, the kind of drama we NBA fans are used to seeing in the fourth quarter but hits different on the ice.The Lightning came out swinging, looking less like a team fighting for playoff positioning and more like the dynasty squad that used to terrorize the league, with Anthony Cirelli basically putting on a masterclass in how to be a pain in the neck to play against. His two goals weren't just scores on a sheet; they were statements.The first one was pure hustle, the kind of greasy, net-front goal that makes coaches smile and opposing goalies curse, and the second was just a dagger, a reminder that this guy has hands when you give him an inch. But the real headline, the moment that had the TD Garden crowd letting out a collective groan, was Pontus Holmberg’s wrist shot late in the second.Dude just sniped it, top shelf where momma hides the cookies, as the old hockey cliché goes, pushing the lead to 4-1 and making it feel like the Bruins were about to get run out of their own building. You could feel the energy just get sucked right out of the place.It was a 'change the channel, this one's done' kind of moment. But here’s the thing about the Bruins—they’re like that movie villain that just won't stay down.They don't have the firepower of years past, but they’ve got that dog in them. Jordan Harris, Morgan Geekie, and Casey Mittelstadt started chipping away, and suddenly a three-goal lead felt as stable as a house of cards in a wind tunnel.The Bruins were throwing everything at the net, and Jonas Johansson in the Lightning net had to stand on his head, making 30 saves and looking like a brick wall on those five—count 'em, five—power plays the Bruins completely whiffed on. That was the ballgame right there.Five chances with the man advantage and coming up empty? That’s a recipe for an L, no matter how hard you push in the third. Joonas Korpisalo did his part at the other end with 19 saves, but when your power play is that anemic, you're basically fighting with one hand tied behind your back.It’s the kind of loss that stings because you can point directly at one thing and say, 'That’s why we lost. ' For the Lightning, it’s a massive character win, a reminder that they can still close out games against the big boys in the East, even when the pressure is cranked to eleven.They’ve got to hop on a plane and face the Capitals tonight, no time to celebrate, just straight into the next battle. Meanwhile, the Bruins get a couple days to stew on this one before heading to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights, and you know that practice is going to be all about fixing that broken power play.It’s a long season, but games like this are the ones you look back on in April, the ones that either build momentum or create doubt. For now, the Lightning can enjoy the flight, and the Bruins have some serious film to watch.
JA
Jamie Carter123k2 days ago
bruins power play was brutal to watch smh five chances and nothing
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JA
Jamie Chen123k2 days ago
this kind of late-game collapse is a universal sports experience, we see the same pattern in football leagues across europe too
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