Coyle, Bruins take over third in Atlantic with OT win against Lightning

TAMPA --Charlie Coyle scored with 1:23 remaining in overtime, and the Boston Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 at Amalie Arena on Friday.

Coyle gathered a loose puck from a battle behind the net, came out in front and scored on a shot from close range.
"It was a quick break, there was a little collision at the blue line," Coyle said. "Jake [DeBrusk] tried to find me for a 2-on-1 ... [there ended up being a] loose puck behind the net, Jake goes and gets it ... [and] it kind of went right to me, and I kind of walked out front and just tried to put it in, and luckily it did."
DeBrusk had a goal and an assist, and Linus Ullmark made 28 saves for the Bruins (45-21-5), who have won four of their past five games.

Boston moved one point ahead of Tampa Bay for third place in the Atlantic Division and is three points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for second.
"It's fun to play these sort of games when it's getting close to the playoffs and you're actually a part of it," Ullmark said. "There are still 11 games to focus on and we're not trying to get ahead of ourselves. We're trying to battle for home-ice advantage, and we've got to bring it every night."
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored, Corey Perry got his 450th NHL assist, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves for the Lightning (43-20-8), who have lost four straight and seven of their past 11 (4-5-2).
"The process was really good tonight. Unfortunately, we fell behind again. We didn't like that," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "But I didn't mind the way we were playing, and we answered right away. You need a push in the third period and I thought we gave it. ... The puck didn't go in for us and sometimes that happens.
"Did we want two [points]? We did. We got one. Let's take it and move on. Could we have easily gotten two tonight? We could've. Now we've got [the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, a team] that has been playing well as of late. Let's continue taking steps forward."
Tampa Bay extended its lead on the Washington Capitals to eight points for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
"For us, we look ahead to the next game," Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. "We're not too worried about the standings or anything. It's about the process and this was a step in the right direction."
The Bruins took a 1-0 lead at 47 seconds of the second period after Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak turned over the puck in the defensive zone, allowing Brad Marchand to set up DeBrusk, who was alone for the backhand finish.
"I thought Jake was our best forward tonight in terms of all-around play," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He was engaged in the game and trying to be physical on the forecheck. He was winning pucks and played a little on the (penalty) kill. He did a really good job for us."

Bellemare tied it 1-1 at 3:28 with a shot from the left circle off a pass by Perry from behind the net.
"If you play the way we played tonight you're going to win a lot more than you lose," Bellemare said. "It's tough because you lost the game, so at times when you lose the game, it's difficult to come out with positive insight. But the coaches have been trying to make us understand that this is a step in the right direction and build on that."
NOTES: DeBrusk has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in his past seven games. ... Bruins forward David Pastrnak (undisclosed) missed a second consecutive game. ... Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm did not play after sustaining a lower-body injury Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings. … Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who had an assist on Coyle's game-winner, has a seven-game assist streak (11 assists). … Marchand has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past seven games. … Ullmark has won his past six starts. … Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, who had an assist on DeBrusk's goal, has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in his past eight games. … Boston defenseman Connor Clifton had one shot on goal, two hits and two blocked shot in 14:19 of ice time in his first game since March 29. ... Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh (upper body) missed an eighth straight game but could play Sunday.