Lilleberg, Lightning rally in 3rd period for win against Bruins

BOSTON -- Emil Lilleberg scored with 1:35 remaining in the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied for a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday.​

Lilleberg, a defenseman who entered with three goals in 47 games this season, put his team in front when he scored off a rebound of Brayden Point’s shot from the high slot.

“What a poised play by him; I had to double-take to make sure it was (No.) 78 making that play,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “It was a good job by him. … We’ve got to keep pushing forward. I don’t like the fact that we were down going into the third, (but) I do like the fact that we came back.”

Brandon Hagel scored in his return after missing five games with a lower-body injury, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for the Lightning (49-25-6), who moved into a points tie with the Montreal Canadiens for second in the Atlantic Division.

Montreal hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets later Saturday; the Buffalo Sabres, who are two points ahead, are idle this weekend.

“We understand where we’re slotted in here and probably need some help, but we do have a chance to get home ice, so there’s still something to play for,” Cooper said. 

Morgan Geekie scored for the Bruins, (43-27-10) who would have clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth with a victory but instead lost their fifth straight (0-3-2). Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves.

Boston can still clinch Saturday if the Detroit Red Wings lose to the New Jersey Devils in regulation. The Bruins visit the Blue Jackets on Sunday.

“It’s brutal,” Geekie said of the mood in the locker room after the game. “It feels like we’re in control of our own destiny, which we are, but it makes it worse when it seems like you can’t get a point or two, especially this time of the year against a division team and how tight the race is, so it feels like it’s slipping away. We’ve got to get back at it (Sunday).”

Swayman kept it 0-0 with 2:52 left in the first period, stifling Gage Goncalves’ attempt to stuff it home on the short side.

“It’s fun to play those kinds of games; we just need to stay in the moment,” Swayman said of the playoff-type atmosphere. “Right now, we have a game (Sunday) we need to focus on.”

Geekie gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 10:47 of the second period. A stretch pass from Charlie McAvoy deep in the defensive zone sent Geekie on a breakaway, and he beat Vasilevskiy glove side for his fourth goal in two games.

Hagel tied it 1-1 at 6:37 of the third. He received a pass from Goncalves, broke in alone on Swayman and scored five-hole.

“Feels good,” Hagel said of his return to the lineup. “Obviously when you come back (from an injury), sometimes it’s not easy to get into your rhythm and your game can be a little bit frustrating, so it was nice to get one there.”

Tampa Bay managed to preserve the win after Hagel was penalized for interference with 37 seconds left.

“We’re figuring it out and building towards the playoffs,” Hagel said. “We’re a really emotional team, and sometimes it’s tough to hold onto that for 82 games, especially what we’ve done this year. But at the end of the day, I thought once our emotion got into it, it seemed like we got something going.”

“I thought we played a good game,” Geekie said. “They’re a good team and we stuck to our script for most of the game. We knew they were going to make a push in the third, but we weathered it pretty well. They capitalized on their opportunities, and it’s tough to see that one slip away. We had a chance on the power play at the end, but we couldn’t capitalize.”

Boston was outshot 11-8 in the third.

“I thought we played a good game,” Geekie said. “They’re a good team and we stuck to our script for most of the game. We knew they were going to make a push in the third, but we weathered it pretty well. They capitalized on their opportunities, and it’s tough to see that one slip away. We had a chance on the power play at the end, but we couldn’t capitalize.”

NOTES: Hagel set a career high with his 36th goal, passing last season’s total. … The Lightning played without defenseman Darren Raddysh and forward Zemgus Girgensons due to undisclosed injuries. … With Hagel back in the lineup, forward Jakob Pelletier was reassigned to Syracuse of the American Hockey League. … McAvoy became the 10th defenseman with 50-plus assists this season, and the first for the Bruins since Ray Bourque had 62 in 1995-96.