BOSTON -- Zdeno Chara's 1,000th NHL game was on Saturday night, but he was recognized for the feat prior to Tuesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the TD Garden. The Bruins captain responded with three assists and helped his team to a 5-2 win over Tampa Bay.
Chara's third assist of the game helped the B's to the game-winner, with 8:26 remaining in regulation.
Just moments after the Bruins killed off a Lightning power play, Chara took a slap shot from the left point, and Brian Rolston picked up the rebound at the left post, took it around the net in a wrap-around attempt, and Benoit Pouliot finished out front to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead.
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Brad Marchand added Boston's fourth goal with 4:10 remaining, on a low shot from the right circle, and Rich Peverley added an empty-netter with 6.8 seconds left to make it 5-2.
Steven Stamkos had tied the game at 2-2, just six minutes before Pouliot's game-winner, after he sniped the top-left corner on a power-play one-timer from the left circle.
The Bruins had taken a 2-1 lead into that third period, thanks to Dennis Seidenberg's finish on a Chara rebound with 4:55 left to play in the second.
Seidenberg found himself down low after a few cycles during a 4-on-4, and after Roloson made the initial save on Chara's slap shot from the point, Seidenberg was on the doorstep to put it upstairs for Boston's first lead of the night.
Both teams entered the second period tied at 1-1.
The Lightning took a 1-0 lead early, after Stamkos picked the low-left corner from a bad angle in the lower-right circle, five minutes into the game.
Shawn Thornton tied it at 1-1 with 9:06 left in the opening period, as he also put home a Chara rebound on the doorstep.