Tyler Seguin, Bruins explode in second period, hang on to tie series 1-1

James O'Brien

May 17, 2011, 11:49 PM EDT

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Tyler Seguin, Chris Kelly, Dennis Seidenberg, Michael Ryder

AP

A lot of people watched Tyler Seguin‘s astounding four-point second period and wondered what Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien was thinking when he made him a healthy scratch for two rounds. Yet it’s quite possible Seguin benefited from having fresh legs and the motivation to never watch a playoff game in street clothes again. Either way, it’s hard to imagine the second pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft being a healthy scratch again anytime soon.

If ever, really.

Boston 6, Tampa Bay 5; Series tied 1-1

There really wasn’t a dull moment in this game, which surprised many considering the defense-first strategies both teams normally employ. The Lightning will inspire yet another round of “striking fast” puns thanks to Adam Hall‘s goal, which happened just 13 seconds into the game. The Bruins dominated most of the first frame and tied it up 1-1, but Steven Stamkos sent a brilliant blind pass to set up a Martin St. Louis 2-1 goal with just seven seconds left.

That goal left the Boston crowd stunned, but it turned out be a prelude to two more dramatic periods.

Tyler Seguin, Bruins chase Dwayne Roloson in the second period

In a second period some might call “The Revenge of the Law of Averages,” the Bruins finally took over Game 2. Obviously, the biggest story was Seguin, who set a single-game playoff record for a teenager with four points (according to Versus). We’ll have more on his special night in a separate post, but if you need a taste of just how special he was, check out this video.

Seguin wasn’t the only Bruins forward who dominated in the second period, even if he clearly produced his first true star-making moment. Michael Ryder scored two goals himself, for example. Another heartening trend for the Bruins was their improved power play (and, by extension, Tomas Kaberle, who produced two assists). That much-derided unit produced two goals on six opportunities and plenty of shots in the process.

It’s important to note the timely (and difficult) saves made by Tim Thomas. The Lightning received a disturbing amount of (partial or full) breakaway opportunities, but Thomas made some huge saves to maintain what became a 6-3 lead. In keeping with the theme of this crazy game, the game was far from over even if elderly godsend Dwayne Roloson was chased from the Lightning net.

Tampa Bay storms back in third

As Keith Jones pointed out in the post-game recap, the Bruins missed Patrice Bergeron the most when they were trying to hold onto what should have been a secure 6-3 lead in the final frame. Say what you will about this Lightning team, they won’t just slump their shoulders and quit.

They didn’t end up tying the game, but the Bolts can take some momentum going into their home games. Stamkos continued his own excellent night by firing an absolute laser beam over Thomas to make it 6-4, giving his team hope once again.

Dominic Moore ended up making it 6-5 on a bizarre interchange. It seemed like Victor Hedman scored a goal seconds before a wild scrum, but Moore was wise to punch it back in as Thomas was bowled over. Check out footage of that moment below.