TAMPA — Other than the skate blade Tuukka Rask lost in all the hubbub and the goal the Lightning scored in that momentary mayhem, the Bruins continued their winning ways here Saturday, smacking a 6-2 loss on the Lightning to start Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Rick Nash and Patrice Bergeron each scored two goals, the increasingly handy David Pastrnak added four assists, Brad Marchand chipped in with 4 points (1-3—4), and Rask finished with 34 saves, stunning most of the sellout crowd of 19,092 inside Amalie Arena.
Less than 72 hours after winning a dramatic Game 7 over Toronto, the Bruins for most of the afternoon were harder on pucks, much sharper around the net, and smarter and more composed across the 200 feet, all of which should provide them with confidence heading into Game 2 here on Monday night.
“He gave us more than a chance early on,’’ said coach Bruce Cassidy, praising Rask’s work, particularly when the Bolts came out with a strong 10 minutes — their only strong minutes — in the first period. “We were still trying to find our legs. We weren’t executing very well. They were better than us.
“Then . . . our top guys finished their chances.’’
The top line of Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak finished with an eye-popping 3-8—11, reminiscent of the 20 points they rolled up in the first two games against the Leafs in Round 1. Nash, riding again on the second line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk, scored on both of his shots, his first multigoal game since arriving in the Hub from the Rangers at the February trade deadline.
The Bruins, staked to a 1-0 lead in the first, put three pucks in the net in a wild second period, but carried only a 3-2 lead into the third period.
Bergeron started things in the right direction for the Black and Gold at 0:42 of the second when he converted a silky-smooth, cross-crease pass from Pastrnak.
The two converged on the net, with Pastrnak moving close to the right post. But rather than shoot, Pastrnak dished to his left and Bergeron was left with an easy forehander to drive into an open left side on Andrei Vasilevskiy for the two-goal lead.
“I know that pass is coming,’’ said Bergeron, now 3-8—11 through seven postseason games. “I am just trying to give him a better passing lane and get ready for the shot.’’
Less than two minutes later, the Bolts finally got on the board with Dan Girardi dialing in a 55-footer from far above the right circle. Rask, faced with a forest of players between his crease and Girardi near the blue line, dropped to his knees before Girardi launched his shot. The puck ticked off Matt Grzelcyk’s chest and ricocheted high into the net for Girardi’s first point of the postseason.
The Bruins scored Goal No. 3, Chapter 1, when Marchand sniped in a laser from near the left circle at 10:17. But with the puck in the net and the Bruins rejoicing, the officials instead called a cross-checking penalty on Pastrnak in the left corner. After trading stick hacks with Tyler Johnson, a frustrated Pastrnak smacked the diminutive center upside the head.
The call on Pastrnak was late and the Bruins were in a general state of disbelief over the whole sequence. Nonetheless, the goal was wiped off the board. Otherwise, Pastrnak would have finished with five assists.
“I thought we scored,’’ said Cassidy. “I am writing down stuff, getting the next line ready to go out . . . until I started hearing the crowd cheering. Then you realize, they’re not cheering for us.’’
Only 16 seconds after the Bruins killed the Pastrnak minor, Nash drove home his second of the afternoon with a wrister from the right circle. The puck caught the top left-hand corner, ricocheted to the right, and then came out of the net. The red light never came on. It looked momentarily as if the refs would not allow this goal, either. But it stood. Bruins, 3-1, with 7:27 remaining in the second.
Less than a minute later, at 13:22, Mikhail Sergachev cut it to 3-2 on a play that had Rask fuming . . . and limping.
Some 8-10 seconds before Sergachev put his shot in the net, a fallen Rask lost his left skate blade, the entire blade squibbing onto the ice. Rask immediately raised his arm, trying to get the attention of one of the refs, but play continued to roll until Sergachev scored.
Fuming and limping, Rask picked up the blade and fired it toward the boards in frustration. But the refs allowed the goal to stand. The NHL rulebook stipulates that play is only whistled dead if the goalie loses his helmet. Rask clearly didn’t know the rulebook, along with virtually everyone in the press box.
“I don’t know,’’ Rask said after the win, “what is the rule?’’
Rask limped back to the Boston bench, where the equipment staff slipped a blade into the bottom of his skate and sent him back into the action. The Bolts launched only 15 more shots his way over the remaining 26 minutes, by which time Marchand, Bergeron, and DeBrusk all had scored. Day done.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
