Bergeron gets 1,000th point, Bruins top Lightning for seventh win in row

TAMPA -- Patrice Bergeron had an assist for his 1,000th NHL point, and the Boston Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 at Amalie Arena on Monday.

Bergeron, the Bruins captain, had the secondary assist on a goal by Brad Marchand at 15:08 of the second period to give Boston a 4-1 lead. He has 409 goals and 591 assists in 1,235 games.
"It's a special game that gives you a lot, obviously you go through a lot of ups and downs," Bergeron said. "But in the end all you remember is those memories, friendships and the guys you go to battle with. It was a special moment."

The entire Bruins team came off the bench to celebrate with Bergeron after the goal was scored.
"It's a special moment and it doesn't happen often," Marchand said. "Obviously, it couldn't be with a better guy. It's another milestone in such an incredible career."
Bergeron is the fourth Bruins player to have 1,000 points, joining Ray Bourque (1,506), Johnny Bucyk (1,339) and Phil Esposito (1,012).
"If he had any kind of cheat in his game he might have 1,200 or 1,300 points," Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. "But he's just so dedicated to playing the game the right way and helping the team have success. He always thinks team, it's amazing."
David Krejci had a goal and an assist for the Bruins (17-2-0), who have won seven straight. Linus Ullmark made 32 saves.

Nicholas Paul scored two goals for the Lightning (11-7-1), whose four-game winning streak ended. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves.
"We hurt ourselves a little bit with attention to detail," Paul said. "It's hard to take positives when the team loses. Yeah, I had a couple of goals tonight, but when we lose it's not as great."
Paul put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0 at 8:57 of the first period with a shot from just inside the left face-off circle.
Krejci tied it 1-1 at 15:36 with a slap shot from above the right circle that went off Vasilevskiy's pad and into the net.
Nick Foligno put Boston ahead 2-1 at 5:07 of the second with a power-play goal off a rebound of a shot from Pavel Zacha. Foligno received five stitches after taking a slap shot in the face from Boston defenseman Hampus Lindholm.
"It's part of being in the net front, sometimes you're gonna take one," Foligno said. "We came out in the second and took over, so it was nice to be able to get that and go ahead. That's what happens with our team, we just come in waves. Good teams do that, and it's so hard to stop them."

Charlie Coyle made it 3-1 at 5:38 with a goal from close range that was initially waved off when the net was dislodged, but video review initiated by the NHL Situation Room determined the puck crossed the goal line first.
David Pastrnak scored a power-play goal for the Bruins at 3:51 of the third period to extend the lead to 5-1. He shot from the bottom of the left circle after a pass through the crease from Jake DeBrusk.
"Penalties, turnovers, a little bit of structure, in the end they probably weathered a little bit of our storm in the first period and got out of the period 1-1," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "And then they throw us their storm and it's 4-1. That was the difference in the game."
Rudolfs Balcers made it 5-2 at 4:02 with his first goal since joining the Lightning after being claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers Nov. 12. Paul scored his second goal on the power play at 10:38 to make it 5-3.
"I think the first and third period I thought we pretty much controlled the game," Tampa Bay forward Pat Maroon said. "Momentum is killed when you're playing so well and then you get on the PK. We're not getting our top guys out there."
NOTES: Bruins center Trent Frederic left the game in the second period and is day to day with an upper-body injury. ... Lightning forward Ross Colton (upper body) was a late scratch. ... Bergeron is the 41st NHL player to record 1,000 points with one team. ...Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy had two assists and has eight assists in a four-game point streak. ... Pastrnak has 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a seven-game point streak. ...Maroon had two assists.