Bruins Beat Blue Jackets In Game 6, Advance To Eastern Conference Final
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Bruins are moving on. The Bruins eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 3-0 victory in Game 6 Monday night, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2013.
David Krejci scored the first goal of the game about midway through the second period, sending a deep slapper past Sergei Bobrovsky after Jake DeBrusk hit the post. Marcus Johansson and David Backes added some much-needed insurance in the third period, beating Bobrovsky in a 1:41 span midway through the frame.
Tuukka Rask was phenomenal again for Boston, stopping all 39 shots that went his way.
Boston will now face the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been off since Friday night after sweeping the New York Islanders in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The schedule for the Bruins-Hurricanes Eastern Conference Final has not yet been released, but the series will begin this week in Boston.
The Bruins took two of their three matchups with Carolina during the regular season. Boston won 3-2 in Carolina on Oct. 30, with Brad Marchand breaking up a 2-2 tie five minutes into the third period for the eventual game-winner. It was Marchand's second tally of the night, with David Pastrnak providing the other goal for Boston. Patrice Bergeron assisted on all three Boston goals that night, and Jaroslav Halak stopped 42 of the 44 shots he saw in net. Former Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton scored one of the Hurricane's two goals that evening, both of which were on the power play.
The B's didn't fare as well in their second trip to Carolina, falling 5-3 on Dec. 23. The Bruins had a 2-1 lead after the first period but the Hurricanes beat Tuukka Rask three times in the second, with Sebastian Aho scoring two of those goals (including one short-handed). Carolina wore vintage Hartford Whalers uniforms that night.
Aho scored two more goals against the Bruins when the Hurricanes visited Boston on March 5 (along with their Whalers uniforms), but the Bruins snapped Carolina's five-game win streak with a 4-3 victory in overtime. David Krejci ended the game just 1:46 into overtime after DeBrusk stole the puck deep in Carolina's zone and fed his linemate for the game-winner.
This is the eighth trip to the Conference Final for Boston since 1982. They have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals four times in that span, winning it all in 2011.
