Bruins Notes: Boston’s Depth Steps Up In Statement Win Over Lightning

BOSTON — The Bruins played the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday with two of Boston’s best defensemen out of the lineup.

Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm were placed on injured reserve and long-term injured reserve, respectively, before the matchup. In their place, the Bruins relied heavily on Parker Wotherspoon and Michael Callahan, who made his NHL debut.

The pair stepped up and helped lead Boston to a 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay. Playing in his 76th NHL game, Wotherspoon scored his first career goal and logged 21:20 of ice time across 27 shifts in the win.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for that moment,” Wotherspoon said. “It’s big. My mom was in the crowd tonight, too, so it makes it a little bit bigger, and I know she’s going to be fired up.”

Callahan may not have shown up on the scoresheet, but the 25-year-old defenseman made an impact in his 14:11 of ice time.

“I thought Callahan did a good job in his first NHL game,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco said. “(Tampa Bay is) not an easy team to play against. I thought the guys were ready to play here tonight.”

Despite not having McAvoy on the ice, Wotherspoon said the message was the same for the defense.

“Obviously, C-Mac is a big part of our team, so with him out, we just had to step up, some of the other guys,” Wotherspoon said. “That’s what’s a great part of this organization, it’s so deep. Callahan came in and did a really good job, and he took out big minutes for us.”

With Mark Kastelic out for his second straight game after taking a nasty cross-check last week against the Lightning, the Bruins recalled Matthew Poitras from Providence. He made an immediate impact in the game with the primary assist on Trent Frederic’s goal to open the scoring.

“I thought Matty played well tonight,” Sacco said. “… He obviously used his speed and his offensive ability on that first goal. He made a really nice play to Freddy.”

Here are more notes from Tuesday’s Bruins-Lightning game:

— Cole Koepke left the game with 10:41 remaining in the third period after a nasty hit from Lighting defenseman Darren Raddysh. Koepke was helped off the ice by his teammates and trainer. After reviewing the play, the referees determined there was no penalty on the play.

“My initial reaction was I thought the first point of contact was the head,” Sacco said. “I’ll have to look at it again. I don’t have an update on it yet just as far as where he’s at as far as his health. I thought the initial hit looked like the first point of contact was his head, but they obviously saw it different.”

— David Pastrnak scored his 20th goal of the season to give the Bruins a commanding 4-0 lead in the second period. It is the ninth consecutive season Pastrnak has recorded 20-plus goals. He trails only Johnny Bucyk, Patrice Bergeron (10 each), and Brad Marchand (11) for the most consecutive seasons in Bruins history.

Pastrnak also had two assists in the game for his 13th multipoint game of the season. He has recorded seven goals in his last six games.

— Andrew Peeke lit the lamp for the first time in a Bruins sweater. The defenseman has 10 assists to go with his lone goal in 55 games for Boston.

— Jeremy Swayman made a season-high 43 saves in the game for his 15th win of the season.

“Having a strong start helped us a lot, especially in our building, and setting the tone with how we want to play and maintain play throughout all 60 minutes” Swayman said. “That’s a huge momentum builder for us, and I’m excited to continue that.”

— The Bruins will look to extend their two-game winning streak when they travel north of the border to face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Puck drop from Canadian Tire Centre is scheduled at 3 p.m. ET on NESN.