Lightning nip Bruins as East race tightens

While the Washington Capitals were taking care of business at home against Pittsburgh, the Boston Bruins were going down in defeat to a Tampa Bay Lightning team near the bottom of the NHL Eastern Conference standings.  The Lightning finally got the best of a see-saw affair with just over a minute to play in the contest, holding on for a 4-3 home victory.

Vaclav Prospal’s 15^th goal of the year on the power play was the decisive tally for Tampa Bay, with assists to Martin St. Louis and Jeff Halpern.  Boston held a whopping 43-18 shots on goal advantage but that was negated by the stellar play of Lightning goalie Karri Ramo.  After the game, Boston coach Claude Julian was impressed by the tenacity of the Lightning:

"They didn't play like [a team near the bottom of the standings. I think if all the cards were aligned, I don't think they be in the bottom of the league. You just have to look at the guys that they have up front. There's a lot of firepower there."

Winning goal scorer Prospal said that despite the Bolts’ woeful record that the team most definitely hasn’t quit on the season:

"We're all playing for something. If a team like Boston coming into our building wouldn't be a challenge for us, then maybe we should get a new job.

"We're a lot of points out of a playoff spot. Right now, for us, it's just about playing hard every night and come out with an effort that will get us the win."

Tampa Bay goalie Ramo, who stopped 40 Boston shots, also commended his teammates’ effort:

"It's a tough team to play against and we played a hell of a game. It's not always the team with the best players that wins. It's the team that refuses to lose. It was really good to end up a winner against a league-leading team."