Lightning shut out Bruins, keep it tight in Atlantic

TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning matched the Boston Bruins in points in the race for first place in the Atlantic Division by defeating them 4-0 at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves to set the Lightning record with his eighth shutout of the season, one more than Nikolai Khabibulin had in 2001-02.
"It's nice to get that shutout before the playoffs," Vasilevskiy said. "We can get some confidence from this game, and we have to play the same way in the next two games."
WATCH: [All Bruins vs. Lightning highlights]
The Lightning (53-23-4) and Bruins (49-18-12) each have 110 points, but Boston is first in the division because it has played one fewer game.
It was Tampa Bay's first win in four games against Boston this season.
"This was big," said Lightning forward Brayden Point, who scored at 5:01 of the second period to make it 1-0. "They've kind of had our number all year. It's been tough games against them and tonight was no different, but it was nice to be on the winning side."
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, "Nobody wants to go through a season and get swept by anybody, especially somebody that you are fighting with for a division title. But the game before this (a 4-2 Boston win on March 29) set it up. I thought the first two times we played them they kind of manhandled us a little bit, but they didn't the last time in their building. Probably psyche-wise it's good for the guys knowing the work, the structure, all that stuff paid off."
Tuukka Rask made 32 saves for the Bruins, who lost in regulation for the first time in 10 games (5-1-4).

"They hadn't beaten us this year, and they were determined to do that," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "First period, I thought we were clearly outplayed for the most part yet we came out of it 0-0. I thought the second period we actually didn't give up as much quality chances, and three of them went in."
Victor Hedman gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead at 10:59 of the second with a shot from the left point.
"The first two periods was some of the best hockey we've played all year," Hedman said. "In the third period, we did a good job of shutting them down. That was a big shutout for us. We wanted to play a good defensive game, and it was a great team effort."
Chris Kunitz scored on the rebound of a Ryan Callahan shot at 14:27 to make it 3-0.
J.T. Miller made it 4-0 at 2:34 of the third period, capitalizing on a turnover by Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk, who lost the puck when he fell in the Lightning zone to set up a 2-on-1. Miller has 10 goals in 17 games since being acquired in a trade from the New York Rangers on Feb. 26.
"Look at the score, 4-0, they were definitely the better team," Rask said. "I don't think it was necessarily a 4-0 game, but I donated them a goal there and the first 30 minutes they were on top of us."

Goal of the game

Hedman's goal at 10:59 of the second period.

Save of the game

Vasilevskiy stopping David Pastrnak at 2:07 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Miller's goal at 2:34 of the third period.

They said it

"I think we want to play well and win games before heading into the playoffs. It's about winning games and playing the right way. It's on until the rest of the line. We should embrace that and have fun with it. It's a good challenge." -- Bruins center Patrice Bergeron
"There are teams that can bring the best out of you, and the Boston Bruins are certainly one of those teams. It's two pretty good teams out there with a lot at stake. And I know we've both secured a playoff spot and have for some time there, but it's two pretty proud teams and we both wanted to win a hockey game, we were just fortunate to come on top."--Lightning coach Jon Cooper

Need to know

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy had two shots on goal, four hits and two blocked shots in 21:23 in his first game since March 3. He missed 15 games because of a sprained MCL in his left knee. ... Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo is out for the rest of the season with a broken left ankle that will require surgery. He was injured in a 5-1 win against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. ... Nikita Kucherov set up Point's goal to become the first Lightning player to reach 60 assists in a season since Martin St. Louis had 68 in 2010-11. ... Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos did not play because of a lower-body injury. He is day to day. ... Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman played his 700th NHL game.

What's next

Bruins:At the Florida Panthers on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, FS-F, NESN, NHL.TV)
Lightning: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; SUN, MSG-B, NHL.TV)