Game-Saver

Infused by an off-the-charts stick save from Tim Thomas late in Game 5, the Bruins hung on to knock off Tampa 3-1 Monday night and grab a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

While the pursuit of Lord Stanley's Cup has been anything but smooth and uneventful for the Boston Bruins this postseason, the Black and Gold continue to have one major thing going for them along the way.

With their backs to the wall, the Bruins have yet to find themselves pushed off the proverbial playoff cliff.

Answering the call just two days after blowing a commanding lead and suffering a heartbreaking collapse to the Lightning in Game 4, the Bruins responded Monday night to play one of their most complete games of the postseason.

Led by the spectacularly untouchable goaltending of Tim Thomas, Boston picked up timely goals from Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand (as well as an empty-net goal from Rich Peverly) to edge Tampa Bay 3-1 in Game 5 before a raucous sell-out crowd of 17,655 at the TD Garden.

With the victory, the Bruins now hold a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals and find themselves just one win shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.

"We are one win away," admitted Thomas (33 saves) after the game. "But that isn't what we need to focus on. What we need to focus on is playing the next game as good as we can and trying to get one win."

Most of all, despite being the most successful Bruins team in a generation, Boston knows that the most pivotal game of the series, and more accurately, their season, comes Wednesday night in Tampa. After being ejected from the playoffs the last three seasons with heartbreaking Game 7 losses to Montreal, Carolina and Philadelphia, the last thing the Bruins need is another do-or-die Game 7 with a trip to the Finals on the line.

"Our goal now is to not play a Game 7," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. "It's going to take our best game."

On Monday night, the Lightning jumped out to a fast start like they have in previous game to grab a 1-0 lead just 69 seconds into the first period. After finding himself on a two-on-one break with linemate Steven Stamkos, Simon Gagne, who also scored the game-winner in Game 4, one-timed a return feed through the legs of defenseman Johnny Boychuk and past Thomas for his 39th career playoff goal.

Tampa continued to carry the play until the first intermission gave the Bruins a much-needed breather.

"We told ourselves that we're actually pretty lucky to be only down one-nothing with that first period," explained Patrice Bergeron. "So we had to wake up and step it up and be desperate."

Boy did they step up.

Displaying their trademark resiliency, the Bruins bounced back to tie the score 1-1 with less than five minutes gone in the second period when Horton, who previously committed a pair of questionable interference penalties, corralled a beautiful cross-ice feed from Milan Lucic and blasted it past Lightning goaltender Mike Smith (17 saves) for his seventh goal of the postseason.

"It was a little bit frustrating up until that point because they scored first and I had a couple of penalties," said Horton. "But all you can do is keep working, keep playing hard, and hopefully things begin to go you way."

Luckily for the Bruins, it did.

Continuing to surge, Boston extended the lead to 2-1 late in the second period. After a clutch keep-in by Zdeno Chara, the captain cycled the puck along the sideboards to Patrice Bergeron. Almost instinctually, Bergeron took one look over his left shoulder, noticed Marchand streaking to the net, then feathered a beautiful rocket-pass directly on the tape of Marchand who tapped the puck home.

"I was just waiting for [Marchand] to get open," explained Bergeron. "I knew he was going to beat him with speed and I was just taking my time to kind of suck that defenseman to me too and I just tried to put the puck on his stick."

For Bruins fans, Bergeron's play represented yet another reason why the team's 25-year-old assistant captain is so vital to the team's success. Sure, he does all the little things correctly that rarely show up in the box score, but what sets him apart is his vision on the ice.

Simply put, he knows where everyone else is on the ice.

"He's pretty good at that," said Julien. "He's been playing so well for us and Patrice is capable of making those plays. We've seen goals this year from him and even Marchand driving the net and with Recchi, that line, they seem to find each other pretty nicely. There's some chemistry there and they've made some  of those plays."

In addition, Marchand's goal was so pivotal because of its timing. Before the goal, the Bruins were on their heels as the Lightning kept attacking in waves.

"Obviously tonight this is a winning goal for us and at a great time," admitted Julien. "I think it really gave us some confidence because, you know, I felt our team tightened up in the first period. When we scored that second goal, it kind of loosened our guys up a bit."

Then, the play of the century came midway through the third period with the Bruins clinging to a 2-1 lead.

With the Lightning pouring it on in search of the equalizer, Tampa forward Steve Downie found himself all alone with the puck on his stick and a wide open net to shoot at.

"I thought for sure it was going to be a goal," admitted Marchand. "Those are usually pretty easy tap-ins."

Nevertheless, Thomas reached back, full extension, with his right arm and caught a piece of the puck with the blade of his stick to rob Downie and secure the Bruins lead.

"I saw the replay on TV," said defenseman Adam McQuaid. "It was amazing. He stole one. That was a game-saver."

Needless to say, it was one of the greatest saves Bruins fans, and hockey fans alike, have ever seen.

"It was just a reaction and desperation," explained Thomas of his career-defining save. "I'll admit I got a little bit lucky there. A little bit."

Thomas could be seen watching the replay from his crease and smiling as the TD Garden faithful marveled at his game-saving stop.

"That's just a confident swagger. He definitely has that," said Boston forward Chris Kelly of Thomas. "It's a game. You've got to have fun with it. It's a great opportunity for all of us. It you're not going to enjoy it, you might regret it."

From there on out, Thomas willed the Bruins to victory, making several spectacular saves before Peverly scored an empty-net goal with 12 seconds left to seal it.

So here the Bruins stand. One win away from a date with destiny in the Cup Finals with the mighty Vanvouver Canucks. And, with a 17-4 all-time record when leading a playoff series 3-2, the Bruins appear to have the odds on their side as well.

Just don't mention any of the heartbreaking collapses in recent years to the Bruins. They know exactly what they have to do Wednesday night in Game 6.

"Nothing should change from our attitude," concluded Lucic. "And the last two series and what we needed to do to get that fourth win. And they're going to fight for their lives an they are going to come out as determined as possible. Their backs are against the wall, but we know what we have to do."

Fasten your seatbelts, Bruins fans.

This is what it's all about.