The Boston Bruins are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2013 after beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 in Monday night's Game 6 in Columbus.
The Blue Jackets controlled play for long stretches and outshot the Bruins 39-29 on the night, but the B's were the ones finding the scoresheet while Columbus was repeatedly denied by Tuukka Rask, who didn't look "dented" at all (sorry, John Tortorella).
Eight minutes into the first period, the Bruins thought they got on the board first when Sean Kuraly shot it past Sergei Bobrovsky. But the Blue Jackets challenged it for goaltender interference and won. Joakim Nordstrom appeared to clip Bobrovsky as he skated through the shooting lane.
Was this goaltender interference? Sean Kuraly’s goal has been overturned pic.twitter.com/ZXWeiZ998M
— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS)
May 6, 2019 But the Bruins still eventually found a way to strike first. A little more than 12 minutes into the second, Jake DeBrusk dented the iron, but David Krejci followed up on the play and sailed a slap shot past Bobrovsky to make it 1-0.
--David Krejci--: Connor Clifton, Jake DeBrusk, The Post1-0 lead for Boston. pic.twitter.com/nyguplswjR
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93)
May 7, 2019 The Bruins found the back of the net twice more in the third period to put the game and the series away.
First it was Marcus Johansson finishing off a 2-on-2 rush with Charlie Coyle with a wrist shot that trickled past Bobrovsky -- the kind of soft goal Rask hasn't been letting in at the other end.
MARCUS JOHANSSON MAKES IT 2-0 #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/HqxBRAhY4m
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar)
May 7, 2019 Then it was a nice tic-tac-toe passing play from Krejci to Torey Krug to a streaking David Backes in front for the redirect to make it 3-0.
KRUG FINDS BACKES TO MAKE IT 3-0!!! #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/Ek4ru7oYMs
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar)
May 7, 2019 Rask had an incredible game in net, as he stopped all 39 Blue Jackets shots. He thoroughly outplayed Bobrovsky, who let in three of 29 shots.
Controversy struck towards the end of the second period when Charlie McAvoy cut in front of Josh Anderson and hit him in the head. The Bruins dodged a bullet when the referees only gave him a minor penalty instead of a major and game ejection.
McAvoy only gets two minutes for this. Wow. pic.twitter.com/5c1XtSetR4
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn)
May 7, 2019 Now the question is whether McAvoy will be suspended, and if so, for how long.
The Bruins now move on to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Big Bad Blog is presented by:
