Boston Bruins Gamenight: Horton nets two, Bruins ground Lightning 4-2

Stay in bed, drink plenty of fluids, maybe have an aspirin.

Now just avoid big snow storms and the Buffalo Sabres and you’re all set.

Apparently the flu-weakened Boston Bruins did enough of all of these things to be able to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Thursday night.

February 21, 2013; Tampa FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Tom Pyatt (11) attempted to shoot on Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) during the second period at Tampa Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Nathan Horton scored twice and Brad Marchand scored the game winner, also assisting on a goal by Patrice Bergeron as the Bruins improved their record to 10-2-2.  Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos scored his 11th of the season and Cory Conacher scored his 6th for the 8-7-1 Lightning.

Seven members of the Bruins came down ill with flu-like symptoms on Tuesday. making their morning skate around look like a couple of kids standing around waiting for a pick up game.

Patrice Bergeron, Gregory Campbell, Andrew Ference, Nathan Horton, Adam McQuaid, Daniel Paille and goaltender Anton Khudobin all were down with the bug, but were participants in the Wednesday skate.

Important for the Bruins to come out firing and try to build a lead before tiring from being under the weather, they did just that.  Just 1:11 into the game, Horton notched his first of the game, a drive from the right lower circle, and Patrice Bergeron beat Lightning goalie Anders Lindback with a wrister from the top right circle, giving Boston a two goal lead just 3:50 into the game.

Stamkos sent a one timer past Boston’s net minder Tuukka Rask to get Tampa Bay within one going into the second period, and Conacher tied it up with a drive from the right circle midway through the period, but Marchand responded with his 9th of the season, a drive from the point to make it 3-2.

Horton scored his second of the game and 6th of the season redirecting a Zdeno Chara pass into a wide open net for the final two goal margin just 2:33 into the final frame.  Horton barely missed a hat trick, sending a  puck just wide of an empty net in the final moments.

Both goalies saw 26 shots, Lindback stopping 22 and Rask 24.

The Lightning now embark on a brutal stretch in which they play six of their next seven on the road starting Saturday at Carolina and then Sunday at Pittsburgh before returning home for the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, while the Bruins visit Miami to face off against the Florida Panthers on Sunday and then travel to the Island for a Tuesday night match up before enjoying a stretch of six of seven at home, including a rematch with Tampa Bay on March 2nd.