Anthony Cirelli and Michael Eyssimont scored second-period goals as the host Tampa Bay Lightning beat Boston 4-1 on Thursday to extend the Bruins’ season-worst losing streak to six games.
The Lightning won the first of four meetings between the Atlantic Division clubs by getting a short-handed goal by Cirelli and an even-strength tally from Eyssimont for a 2-0 edge. That was enough for their second straight win to improve to 2-5-0 within the division.
Ryan McDonagh notched two assists for Tampa Bay to eclipse 400 career points, while Brayden Point recorded his 600th point with the game’s final tally. Brandon Hagel registered a goal and an assist, Nikita Kucherov added a pair of helpers and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves in the win.
Andrew Peeke and Brad Marchand assisted on Mason Lohrei’s goal for Boston, which fell to 12-10-2 under interim coach Joe Sacco. Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves but dropped to 0-5-0 in his past five starts.
The Geekie brothers, the Bruins’ Morgan and the Lightning’s Conor, faced each other for the first time in their careers.
Two nights after yielding three goals to the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-0 shutout, Swayman starred in the first period along with the visitors’ special teams.
Boston and its 25th-ranked penalty-kill unit had to face the Lightning’s fourth-ranked power-play unit twice after Pavel Zacha and Nikita Zadorov committed minor infractions, but the Bruins did not allow a single shot over the four minutes.
The Lightning finally put up a goal on the Bruins’ first power play after Victor Hedman went off for interference at 13:56 of the second.
McDonagh sprung Hagel with a long pass for a short-handed breakaway that ended with a wide shot. However, the long rebound off the end boards bounced straight back out front to a charging Cirelli, who banged in his third short-handed goal at 14:07.
Eyssimont doubled the advantage with a wrister from the left circle that beat Swayman on the short side with 50 seconds left in the period.
The Bruins got right back in it at 2:05 in the third with a strong offensive push that ended with Lohrei scoring a rare goal from the club’s rear guard.
Boston removed Swayman with just over two minutes left for the extra skater, but Hagel nailed an empty-netter before Point potted the final tally.
The clubs meet again on Jan. 14 in Boston.
–Field Level Media
