A loss to Tampa Bay should do nothing to reduce Brandon Carlo's performance against a Lightnign team the Bruins could face in the playoffs

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The third period turned into a nightmare for the Bruins on Monday, as they lost a 4-2 lead and left Tampa with a 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Anthony Cirelli scored the winning goal with 53 seconds to play while a Boston penalty was expiring in a battle between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings.

There were a lot of mistakes made. Several covers were canceled and several Bruins took risks, which cost them the opportunity to send a message to the winners of the Trophy Presidents before a possible revenge. The Bruins will host the Lightning in the final game of the regular season and no one expects this match to send a message of a type of message other than "our stars are resting and we can not wait for the playoffs begin".

So, while several Bruins will have to learn some lessons on how to protect a lead, against one of the most powerful offenses the NHL has had in years or against any opponent, Boston has drawn some positive lessons even in case of defeat.

Among the Bruins' strengths was Brandon Carlo. The defenseman is in his third season in the NHL and the Bruins have qualified for the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, but he has not played in the playoffs yet. His injuries have prevented him from participating in the tournament every year and he now has six games to stay healthy and make a difference in Boston.

If the first two periods, and most of the third Monday, have proven anything, it's that Carlo will fill part of the gap between the Bruins and the Lightning if they meet again. Carlo will also help Boston tremendously to face a Toronto team that now includes John Tavares and will likely have Nazem Kadri in training instead of being suspended for half of the series.

Carlo led the Bruins in ice time with 27:00 Monday. Some of these things were not intentional because he had had a 3:16 split in the second period when the Bruins had been cornered, then a 4:40 gap in the third period when Boston was out of contention. was found stuck in the defensive zone. the puck twice, then Carlo started the goal shoot that followed.

But even during those changes that killed the lungs, Carlo was present and it is said that neither one nor the other change resulted in a Tampa Bay goal (although JT Miller fired a double shot that ended the second period marathon change).

Carlo ended up playing 7:04 on the 10:39 Boston shorthanded while the Bruins scored 6 of 6 goals on penalties.

If all this was accomplished by Carlo, it would be an exceptional night for the 22-year-old who is best known for his defensive prowess. But Carlo also scored a big goal, which gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead. If the game was over after 40 minutes, Carlo would have been the first star.

From time to time, Carlo may have had a taste of what the playoffs will be in some very intense high season games. It was one of those nights when a quality effort of the playoffs was needed, and it seemed obvious that the playoff rookie would be able to react to the playoffs like a graying veterinarian.

Can not calm Clifton

The improvement of Connor Clifton's game is another positive element of Boston's defeat. He could have done a better job defending Cirelli's goal-scoring game, but the rookie was again solid and on penalties, a huge climb for the Bruins, given that they lost John Moore as a result of an injury. the first period.

Best of all, he showed that he could recover some of Kevan Miler's lack of ruggedness with two bone-cracking successes – one that knocked Ondrej Palat out of the first-half match and l? 39, another that allowed Mathieu Joseph to enter the Boston area Not easy when Clifton is on the ice.

Interestingly, Palat's success was early in the game and the Lightning did nothing to take revenge. It's something that David Backes would not have wanted.

Help on the way

Torey Krug is about to return to the Bruins' formation. Miller and Matt Grzelcyk could be back in a week. The timing could not be better with Moore falling. Marcus Johansson was hoping to play against the Lightning, but it looks like the wing will be back against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

Related: Sunday Skate: Marchand Bruins, Bergeron and Pastrnak are the Maple Leafs' nightmare

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