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Boyes scores twice as Bruins win fourth straight

Feb 24, 2007 - 6:25 AM TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Brad Boyes and the Boston Bruins are getting hot at the right time.

Boyes recorded his first multi-goal game of the season and Brandon Bochenski added a tally and two assists as the Bruins extended their winning streak to four games with a 6-2 thumping of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Marc Savard collected three assists and Marco Sturm and rookie Phil Kessel each scored a goal and set up another for Boston, which climbed within five points of the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

After Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle forged a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal 5 1/2 minutes into the game, Boyes scored the next two tallies to put Boston ahead for good. The 24-year-old's second goal, which came at 3:58 of the second period, was his 100th career point.

"Right now, we're focused on continuing to play well on this important road trip," Boyes said. "Any (personal) achievements are nice, but more importantly, we're earning some big points on a huge road trip."

Kessel snapped a 15-game drought later in the middle session for a 4-1 advantage, and Bochenski and Stanislav Chistov scored five minutes apart in the third to build a commanding lead.

"We've had great production out of key players like Brad and Phil," Boston coach Dave Lewis said. "These guys are realizing the importance of getting the little things done first and the rest will take care of itself."

P.J. Axelsson picked up two assists and Tim Thomas made 24 saves for the Bruins, who swept the four-game season series with the Lightning and improved to 4-1-0 on their season-high six-game road trip.

"Anytime you can get a streak on the road going, it's a huge factor," Axelsson said. "To come in and beat a hot team with some great scorers is definitely big. We just need to keep up the momentum and make the most of every opportunity."

Defenseman Filip Kuba also tallied for Tampa Bay, which had its five-game home winning streak snapped.

"We got our butts kicked tonight and we have to look back and realize that we were lucky a few times recently and that will stop eventually," Lightning captain Tim Taylor said. "We've thought we were playing well, and when you are getting wins and aren't playing well, your mind plays tricks on you.

"We needed to really get a beating. It will help us realize we weren't playing good hockey."

Sturm opened the scoring at 1:46 of the first period with his third goal in four games, but Boyle beat Thomas with a high wrist shot from the left faceoff dot at 5:29 to draw the Lightning even. Boyes restored the lead for Boston at 9:41, knocking in the rebound of defenseman Bobby Allen's shot from the right point for his 10th tally.

"We had some great looks early on and took advantage of the opportunities," Boyes said. "That's something we've been taking care of lately, making sure we get the most out of our chances."

During a 2-on-1 early in the second, Boyes received a pass by Savard from the left circle and backhanded the puck past netminder Johan Holmqvist for a 3-1 bulge. Holmqvist had replaced starter Marc Denis, who made made just five saves before being pulled after Boyes' first goal.

Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella did not blame Denis for his team's bad start, instead pointing the finger at himself.

"That game is my fault," Tortorella said. "That's some bad decisions by the coach. I put (Denis) in a bad position and I shouldn't have done it. So it's on my shoulders."

Kessel extended the lead with 7:19 to go in the period, slipping in a rebound from the left side for his first goal since netting two on January 17 at Buffalo.

"Good things are happening and we're making plays when we need to," Kessel said. "We've come out quick in the last few games and kept up the momentum and played well under pressure."

Bochenski scored on a shot from the right hash marks during a power play at 4:30 of the third and Chistov put a wrister between Holmqvist's pads from the left circle at 9:31 to give Boston a 6-1 cushion.