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Lightning try to stay hot against visiting Bruins

Nov 22, 2010 - 4:21 PM (Sports Network) - The Lightning showed they can win when Steven Stamkos has an off night, but the key for the club might be finding consistency in net.

Tampa Bay shoots for a season-high fourth straight victory this evening when it plays host to the Boston Bruins at St. Pete Times Forum.

The Lightning have won three straight games for the first time since opening the season 3-0. They have allowed 10 goals over their winning streak, and though the bulk of that came in an 8-7 victory at Philadelphia on Thursday, they still rank tied for 24th with 3.20 goals-against per game.

Tampa Bay got great goaltending from Mike Smith on Saturday however in a 2-1 triumph in Buffalo. Smith made 29 saves and was backed by goals from Teddy Purcell and Adam Hall to help Tampa Bay wrap a three-game swing perfect.

"I was so happy when that horn went," Smith said. "We were battling the whole game. It was a good win and it's good to end a road trip like this."

Both Stamkos and Martin St. Louis had seven-game point streaks end. Stamkos, who leads the NHL with 19 goals and 34 points, failed to notch a point for just the third time in 20 contests this year, while St. Louis was held off the scoresheet for just the fourth time in 2010-11.

Stamkos has three goals and seven points in eight career games versus the Bruins and will try to get back on track tonight as the Lightning go for their first four-game win streak since Feb. 2-9.

It is unknown who will be in net though. Smith (6-3-0) still has a 3.39 goals- against average in 11 games (nine starts) despite Saturday's strong effort, while Dan Ellis (5-4-2) has a 2.81 GAA in 12 games (11 starts).

Smith is 2-4-0 with a 2.31 GAA lifetime versus the Bruins, while Ellis has lost his only career start against them, allowing three goals on 27 shots.

Boston has had the opposite problem of Tampa Bay as it leads the league with a 1.83 GAA. That is thanks in large part to Tim Thomas, who will likely get the call tonight and is 7-4-0 with a 2.44 GAA in his career versus the Lightning.

The 2009 Vezina Trophy winner leads the NHL with a 1.49 GAA and .954 save percentage, and fell to 10-1-1 this season on Saturday in a 4-3 shootout loss to Los Angeles. Thomas made 23 saves prior to the shootout and turned aside five of the six skaters he faced before getting beat stick side by the Kings' Michal Handzus in the sixth round.

"(Handzus) did a great job of not telegraphing where he was going to shoot the puck," said Thomas. "The way his body was angled and his stick was angled -- it really looked like he could only go five-hole or glove-side. He switched it up there at a far enough distance where there was still net."

Blake Wheeler, Gregory Campbell and Patrice Bergeron all scored to help the Bruins erase a 3-0 deficit and earn a point despite having a three-game winning streak halted.

The Bruins fell to 4-4-2 at home this year, but will play two straight and five of their next seven on the road, where they are 7-1-0 this season.

The Bruins and Lightning split four meetings last year, but Boston has won seven of the last 10 played in Tampa.