Marco Sturm (2 goals), Patrice Bergeron (1 goal, 2 assists) and Mark Recchi (3 assists) led the way offensively for the Bruins, while Tim Thomas held down the fort with 39 saves on 40 shots as the B's downed the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 at TD Garden.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead  8:05 into the game when Marc Savard potted his 200th career NHL goal on a backhand wrap around, which Savard admitted was actually a pass attempt that found its way into the back of the net (that's what you call "Puck Luck"). Derek Morris and Zdeno Chara picked up helpers on the power play goal.

Patrice Begeron made it 2-0 with 5:57 left in the opening period when he put home a rebound off Chara's shot from the point.

Marco Sturm made it 3-0 when he jammed home a puck that Bolts goalie Mike Smith couldn't cover up. Mark Recchi and Sturm were hacking away at the puck and it was hard to tell who got a stick on the puck, but the official scorer credited Sturm with the goal. Recchi and Begeron added assists on the goal.

Marco Sturm extended the Bruins' lead to 4-0 just 2:31 later when Patrice Bergeron carried the puck on the right wing side of the ice along the goalline and fed a beautiful centering pass to Sturm, who was going hard to the net.

The Lightning pulled to within three 1:27 into the third period on a put-back in front by Jeff Halpern.

The Bruins were able to hold the lead the rest of the way and skated away with a 4-1 win.

Notes:

- The teams combined for 79 shots (Boston: 39 Tampa Bay: 40)

- Marco Sturm put 9 shots on goal.

- The Bruins won the battle at the face-off dot 34-24. Patrice Bergeron won 14 of 19 (74%), while Marc Savard won 12 of 15 (80%).

- Sturm, Bergeron, Recchi, Chara, and Morris were all +3 on the night.

- Vladimir Sobotka left the game with a presumed injury and only logged 7:14 of ice time.

- The B's have a big weekend ahead of them. They will travel to Montreal to play the Canadiens on Friday night in their 100th anniversary game (apparently the Quebecois calender considers January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010 to be one year). The B's will then return home to take on #81 and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

3 Stars (as picked by 98.5 The Sports Hub)
1st Star: Marco Sturm (2 goals, +3, 9 shots)
2nd Star:Patrice Bergeron (goal, 2 assists, +3)
3rd Star:Mark Recchi (3 assists, +3)