What seemed like a dire situation turned into a potentially series-defining moment for the Bruins.
After learning pregame that they would be without star defenseman Charlie McAvoy due to COVID protocols, the Bruins went out and earned a second straight win over the Carolina Hurricanes to even up their best-of-seven first-round series at two games apiece.
The defining stretch came in the late second period and early third period, when Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand (who had five points in the game) scored a pair of power-play goals that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 Boston lead. David Pastrnak would add the insurance marker to seal the win. Game 5 is set for Tuesday night in Carolina.
The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead with 5:54 left in the first when Jordan Staal hit Brett Pesce as the trailer on the rush and Pesce snapped a shot past Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins got caught puck-watching on the play, as they had three forwards in the vicinity of Pesce, only for none of them to actually pick him up.
The Bruins answered just two minutes later, though. Patrice Bergeron won an offensive-zone faceoff, Marchand through the puck towards the net, Pastrnak collected a rebound and made a nice pass to Bergeron, who then finished the play off by banging the puck past Antti Raanta at the post.
The Hurricanes retook the lead just 33 seconds into the second period. With the Bruins scrambling in their own zone, Nino Niederreiter found Jordan Staal in the slot for a one-time goal.
After failing to capitalize on their first three power plays of the game, the Bruins finally made Carolina pay on their fourth. With 1:16 left in the second, Pastrnak fired a shot that was deflected wide. Marchand threw the rebound back to the front of the net, and DeBrusk jammed it in.
The Hurricanes challenged for goalie interference, and that’s when their problems really started. They lost the challenge, sending the Bruins right back to the power play. Fifty-two seconds later, Sebastian Aho high-sticked Bergeron and drew blood, sending him to the box for four minutes and giving the Bruins a 5-on-3 for 1:08.
The Bruins didn’t score on the 5-on-3 before the end of the second period, but they did when it carried over to the start of the third. Just as the 5-on-3 was about to expire, Marchand walked down Main Street and ripped a shot over Raanta’s glove to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead and send the TD Garden into a frenzy.
With Bergeron and Marchand already on the board, it was time for Pastrnak to complete the trifecta. The reunited “Perfection Line” upped the lead to two on a beautiful set play off an offensive-zone faceoff. Bergeron won the draw, Marchand swooped in to collect the puck, and then made a perfect pass to Pastrnak in front for the finish. Marchand later tacked on the empty-netter.
When it was all said and done, Marchand had two goals and three assists, Bergeron had a goal and two assists, and Pastrnak and DeBrusk each had a goal and an assist. The power play went 2-for-8, the penalty kill went 4-for-4, and Jeremy Swayman made the saves he had to in order to get a second straight win.
Bruce Cassidy said on Sunday that Hampus Lindholm could be a possibility to return for Game 5 on Tuesday. McAvoy’s status is unknown, but it’s possible he’ll have to miss another game if he’s in isolation.
On Sunday, though, the Bruins survived what appeared to be a dire situation without those two and evened up this best-of-seven series with a gutsy effort.