Furious Third-Period Rally Lifts Bruins To 4-3 Win Over Hurricanes In Game 4
BOSTON (CBS) -- For the majority of Monday night, a 2-2 series tie seemed to be inevitable. Jaroslav Halak was nowhere near the top of his game, the Bruins' offense was stagnant, and the Hurricanes were doing what was necessary to keep the Bruins at bay.
But then ... a high-energy goal, a vicious hit, a game-tying goal and the go-ahead score all took place in what seemed like an instant. And just like that, the Bruins turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead while flipping the balance of the entire series.
The Bruins went on to win 4-3, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead over Carolina.
The Bruins did not get on the board until 7:26 into the third period, when James Reimer came out of his net but lost the race to a loose puck against Jake DeBrusk. With Reimer taking him out at the knees, DeBrusk got the puck to his forehand and buried a shot into the vacated goal to give the Bruins life.
Minutes later, the Bruins tied it up at 2-2. Charlie McAvoy sent Jordan Staal airborne with a heavy hit in the Carolina end of the ice, a hit that no doubt put some juice in the legs of Boston skaters.
After a stoppage, that momentum manifested itself in the form of the game-tying goal, when Joakim Nordstrom skated behind the Carolina net and fed Connor Clifton. With Par Lindholm battling in front and likely disrupting Reimer, Clifton's shot sailed over the netminder's shoulder, tying the game with 9:50 left to play in regulation.
Just 90 seconds later, Brad Marchand broke in on a breakaway and beat Reimer through the five-hole.
The Bruins got themselves some insurance, too, when DeBrusk scored his second of the night with 5:43 left in regulation.
That insurance goal proved significant, too, as Tuevo Teravainen snuck a puck past Halak while the extra attacker was on the ice for Carolina.
The Hurricanes couldn't manage to score the equalizer, and the Bruins skated away with the win.
The Hurricanes scored the first goal of the game on their very first shot of the night, more than nine minutes into the first period. Justin Williams sent a long shot on net from above the left faceoff circle, and Jaroslav Halak misplayed it, allowing Carolina to take a 1-0 lead 9:17 into the first period.
The Bruins started the game with five shots in the first three minutes of the first period, but they got just one more shot on goal in the final 17 minutes of the first period.
Just past the midway point of the second period, the Hurricanes doubled their lead when Jordan Martinook streaked up the left wing and sent a wrist shot to Halak's glove hand side, beating the netminder and putting the Canes up 2-0.
Carolina went back to Reimer in net, after he started and won Game 2. Petr Mrazek had lost Games 1 and 3 for the Canes. Halak started his second straight game for Boston, after Tuukka Rask opted out of the NHL's postseason.
Boston's David Pastrnak remained out with an undisclosed injury, while Andrei Svechnikov is out indefinitely after suffering an injury late in Game 3.
Game 5 will be Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
