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Lightning host Bruins in pivotal Game 3

May 19, 2011 - 2:59 PM (Sports Network) - The Eastern Conference finals will continue tonight in Florida, as the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Boston Bruins in a crucial Game 3 at St. Pete Times Forum.

The clubs split the first two tests of this best-of-seven series in Boston and will now play this evening's tilt and Saturday's Game 4 in Tampa. The Lightning posted a 5-2 victory in the opener before the Bruins responded with a 6-5 decision in Tuesday's Game 2.

The Bruins were led by rookie Tyler Seguin in the Game 2 victory, as the second overall pick in the 2010 draft recorded a career-best four points with two goals and two assists.

The 19-year-old Seguin skated in his first NHL playoff game in the opener of this series. After being a healthy scratch for Boston's first 11 games of the playoffs, Seguin was inserted into the Game 1 lineup to replace concussed forward Patrice Bergeron.

"He was extremely good tonight, no doubt about that," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien of Seguin. "One of our best players out there and he used his speed very well tonight. He challenged their [defensemen] with it."

With the way Seguin has played it's hard to imagine he would be out of the lineup even if Bergeron, who sustained a concussion in the final game of Boston's conference semifinals sweep of Philadelphia, is able to play this evening.

Bergeron, a valuable two-way forward for the Bruins, has been practicing with the team and could play tonight.

Michael Ryder notched two goals and a helper, while Nathan Horton added a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who scored five times in the second period and led the contest 6-3 after two periods.

Tim Thomas picked up the win despite allowing a postseason-high five goals on 41 shots. He made 13 saves in the third period to help Boston's lead stand up for the win.

"I am not really worried that they scored five goals because we were able to score six and that was a really good thing," Thomas told his club's web site. "We found a way to win and they guys on this team deserve credit for that. They did an excellent job but we still haven't played as well as we can."

The Bruins also went 2-for-6 on the power play in Game 2, giving Boston four goals on the man advantage in its last four games. Boston failed to score a single power-play goal in its first nine games this postseason and is 4-for-47 with the man advantage in the playoffs.

Tampa captain Vincent Lecavalier tallied a goal and three assists in Game 2 for the Lightning, but his club's playoff winning streak ended at eight games. It was Tampa's first loss since dropping Game 4 to Pittsburgh in the first round.

Adam Hall, Steven Stamkos, Dominic Moore and Martin St. Louis also scored in the loss.

Dwayne Roloson was lit up for six goals on 27 shots through two periods and was pulled from a game for the first time in this year's playoffs. Mike Smith halted all eight shots he faced in the third.

"To be honest it was a pond hockey game," Lightning head coach Guy Boucher said. "When you play a pond hockey game there is always a chance that it won't turn your way. Your breakaways, my breakaways, your 2-on-1s, my 2-on-1s -- it might be exciting for the fans but from the team's prospective and standpoint it is not how we've played."

Tampa is 3-2 as the host in these playoffs and has won three in a row on home ice since losing Game 4 to Pittsburgh in double overtime. The Lightning were 25-11-5 at St. Pete Times Forum during the regular season.

Boston had a strong 24-12-5 record as the visiting team this season and is 4-1 on the road in the 2011 postseason.

The Bruins are in the conference finals for the first time since 1992 and they lost their previous two trips to this stage since last making an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1990. Tampa wound up winning the franchise's only Stanley Cup title in 2004, when it made its only other trip to the conference finals.

Although Tampa and Boston have never met in the postseason, the Bruins did take three out of four from Tampa Bay this year and outscored the Lightning by a combined 15-8 margin in the regular-season series.