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Tampa Bay rallies back from down 3-0 to beat Boston 5-3 and even series at 2-2

Boston Bruins v Tampa Bay Lightning - Game Four

in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at St Pete Times Forum on May 21, 2011 in Tampa, Florida.

Eliot J. Schechter

The game didn’t start the way Tampa Bay had hoped but with the way it closed out, they ended up very happy and injected some doubt into the minds of the Boston Bruins. After getting down 3-0 after the first period, the Lightning rallied back to tie the game 3-3 after two periods and went on to win 5-3 to tie the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.

As good as the Bruins looked in the first period they looked as bad and overrun in the final two periods of the game. Patrice Bergeron led the charge in the first scoring two goals while Michael Ryder added a third. Getting out that big that early forced Dwayne Roloson out of the game after making just six saves. Mike Smith would replace him and that move would change the scope of the game.

Smith would play the rest of the way and shutout the Bruins stopping 21 shots through the rest of the game. That kind of play helped give the Lightning the opportunity to get back into the game and in the second period it would be Teddy Purcell would would lead the charge scoring Tampa’s first two goals of the game. Sean Bergenheim would add his ninth goal of the playoffs to tie the game at 3-3.

In the third, Tampa Bay would continue to press the issue and for Boston back into their zone. There it would be Simon Gagne breaking the tie beating Tim Thomas through the five hole to give Tampa a 4-3 lead. From there, Tampa would burrow in and hang on to the lead getting an empty net goal from Martin St. Louis to seal the deal.

For Boston it’s yet another stunning playoff collapse. Boston dominated the first twenty minutes of the game taking advantage of brutal Tampa Bay mistakes and converting them for goals to beat a rattled and tired looking Dwayne Roloson. The Bruins let up after getting up 3-0 in the game and took it all for granted in how they reacted to the pressure Tampa Bay poured on in the final 40 minutes. Boston will again have to learn from this but now the series is a best of three the rest of the way. On the upside for Boston they’ll have up to two more games at home. The downside is they could’ve been heading home for Game 5 with a chance to end the series. Now they’ll be back to fighting for the series and in desperate need to win Game 5.

Tampa Bay scrapping back and winning this game the way they did falls in line with how they’ve played all playoffs. They didn’t give in and once they got things rolling in the second period, they had Boston back on their heels unable to handle the pressure. Smith’s job in relief was huge as he was able to stabilize things after they were spiraling out of control fast in the first period. Smith’s save late in the third period was a prime example of how big he was for the Lightning.

For Tampa, they’ve now got a reason to be positive as they had every reason to be negative after their play in Game 3.

After the game Joe Micheletti spoke with both Simon Gagne and Mike Smith.

Here are all the highlights from Game 4’s Tampa Bay victory.