FINAL SCORE: Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Boston Bruins 2
IN BRIEF: It's now mathematically impossible for the Boston Bruins to earn the No. 1 seed in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Bruins lost to the Lightning in their second NHL round robin game Wednesday afternoon in the Toronto bubble. The loss drops Boston's record in this format to 0-2-0. The B's are the only team in the round robin with zero points. It's a pretty disappointing development for the Bruins, who won the Presidents' Trophy during the regular season as the league's only 100-point team.
Get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App
It isn't all bad news for the Bruins, though. Boston showed signs of life in the second and third periods. The B's scored twice and played with a more physical edge in the final 30 minutes of the game. Boston's bottom-six forwards also gave the team plenty of energy, and fourth-line winger Chris Wagner scored his second goal in as many games.
The Bruins have one more game in the round robin to sharpen their skills before the first round of the playoffs.
Boston Bruins
Find the latest Boston Bruins news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
BRUINS RECORD: 0-2-0
HIGHLIGHTS
The Bruins took a penalty just 43 seconds into the game, and despite killing it off, the Lightning kept attacking and opened the scoring at 7:33 of the first period. Lightning center Brayden Point beat Rask five-hole to get Tampa Bay on the board.
The Lightning doubled their advantage on the power play at 10:32 of the first period. A mental error by the B's resulted in a too many men on the ice penalty, and the Bolts were quick to capitalize. Bolts center Alex Killorn was credited with his team's second goal, which came off a double deflection.
Lightning forward Blake Coleman rocked Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo with a huge hit, which prompted Torey Krug to stick up for his defense partner and fight Coleman.
Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy finally got the Bruins on the scoreboard in the second period. His shot from the point beat Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to cut the Tampa Bay lead to 2-1.
The Bruins tied the score 2-2 early in the third period on a goal from Chris Wagner. Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara threw a puck on net and Wagner was able to tap it over the goal line.
The Lightning scored the game-winner late in the third period when Tyler Johnson pounced on a rebound and beat Rask.
UP NEXT
The Bruins will conclude round robin play against the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon. The NHL has not yet announced the start time for this game.
