Tampa Bay was perfect in elimination games during the 2011 postseason heading into Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. But all good things must come to an end.

The Lightning fell one game and one goal short of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history, falling to Boston in Game 7 of conference final to end a magical and unexpected playoff ride. Nathan Horton broke a scoreless tie with 7:33 remaining in the third period, and Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas stopped all 24 shots Tampa Bay fired at him.

But in the end, Tampa Bay ran out of gas and ran out of magic after staving off elimination four other times in the playoffs.

"We made it happen all year long. We came back all year long and kept coming and kept coming," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "We really believed we were coming back. So it's a shock. When you really believe, it's difficult to accept."

The only breakdown of the game that proved costly came when Horton slipped through a seam in the defense past Steven Stamkos and in front of Mattias Ohlund to get to the front of the net. Horton was able to tap in a David Krejci pass for the only goal of the game, which proved to be the play that ended the Lightning's season one step short of facing the Vancouver Canucks in the Final.

"Obviously, it's difficult. It's difficult because you know what your players put on the ice is every little ounce of energy is left that they have, so there's a lot of respect that comes at the end of this," Boucher said.

BRUINS 1, LIGHTNING 0: Tampa Bay couldn't solve Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, spoiling a 37-save performance by its own goaltender, Dwayne Roloson. Nathan Horton scored the only goal of the game with 7:33 left in the third period to break the scoreless tie, finding one of the few holes in the Lightning's tight defensive scheme.

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