Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-0 series-clinching win over the Blue Jackets in Game 6, with BSJ insight and analysis:
Box Score
HEADLINES
Rask saves his best for last: So much for a Game 7 in Boston for the Columbus Blue Jackets. And as for that talk about the Blue Jackets’ “denting” Tuukka Rask — well ... the B’s netminder was spectacular on Monday night, turning aside all 39 shots that came his way en route to a 3-0 victory for the Bruins in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It was Rask’s first shutout in the postseason since May 8, 2014, helping Boston best the Blue Jackets and advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2013. Along with turning aside all 12 high-danger scoring chances that a desperate Jackets club generated on Monday, Rask’s high-danger save percentage is now up to a stellar .905 — tops for any goalie remaining in the postseason. He may catch a ton of flak, but there’s no doubting that Rask is locked in at just the right time for the Bruins — and is the biggest reason why the Bruins are through two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, the Bruins are just four wins away from the Stanley Cup Final. Next up, the Carolina Hurricanes.
B’s dodge bullet with Charlie McAvoy: After getting a goal from Sean Kuraly overturned upon review in the first period, the Bruins ended up getting bailed out by the league after Charlie McAvoy dropped Josh Anderson with a hit to the head. The optics certainly didn’t look good, as McAvoy was eventually whistled for an illegal check to the head, putting him in the sin bin for … two minutes.
Most assumed the worst following the hit, with a potential five-minute major and game misconduct potentially on the table against McAvoy — who has, by and large, been Boston’s best defensemen this entire postseason.
But McAvoy returned to play in the early minutes of the third period, while Anderson was thankfully no worse for wear after returning following the second intermission.
Even with the victory, the Bruins and McAvoy are certainly not out of the woods yet, as the 21-year-old defenseman could face supplemental discipline from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Expect to hear from the league, one way or the other, on Tuesday.
FOUR UP
Tuukka Rask:
It wasn’t an easy night at the office for Rask. After withstanding four high-danger chances from the Blue Jackets through the first 20 minutes of play, Rask then had to keep the Bruins afloat during a two-period stretch in which the Bruins held a commanding 25-8 edge in scoring chances. Dominant stuff tonight in net.
David Krejci:
Krejci received a great bounce off of the Blue Jackets post, but the pivot did not miss on a skittering puck in the second period — basting one past Sergei Bobrovsky to open the scoring at 12:13. With his tally, Krejci now has eight game-winning goals in the postseason, good for third in franchise history (
Cam Neely - 13, Phil Esposito - 9
)
Penalty kill:
The play of Rask went a long way, but the Bruins’ penalty kill once against stood tall against a Blue Jackets penalty kill that, entering Game 4, was cashing in on 38.1 percent of their opportunities. The unit went 4-for-4 on Monday night — and closed out the series with a perfect 11-for-11 showing.
David Backes:
After helping to turn the tide in this series once he was inserted into the lineup ahead of Game 4, it was only fitting that Backes was the one to put the nail in the coffin for the Columbus, tipping a sweet saucer feed from
Torey Krug
past Bobrovsky to close out the scoring on the night.
THREE DOWN
Brandon Carlo:
He logged 24:42 of ice time on Monday, but the young defenseman still had a couple of defensive miscues in the early going — including a pair of giveaways to
Matt Duchene
and
Markus Hannikainen
in the first that led to quality looks for the Jackets.
Power Play:
Bit of a small sample size with just one opportunity on the man advantage on Monday, but the Bruins didn’t exactly inspire too much confidence — failing to land a shot on goal while surrendering a shorthanded SOG down the other end of the ice.
Charlie McAvoy:
All in all, McAvoy was pretty damn good once again on the ice on Monday — logging 24:42 of ice time, while Boston held a 6-2 edge in high-danger scoring chances in the 19:55 of 5v5 TOI in which McAvoy was out there. Still, the Bruins have to be crossing their fingers that McAvoy doesn’t face supplemental discipline for that hit against Anderson, because that would be a huge loss on the back end for Boston.
PLAY OF THE GAME
So, uh, which goalie was dented on Monday night?
PARTING THOUGHTS
Looks like no hard feelings for Anderson when it comes to McAvoy’s hit. Love the post-series handshake line.
LOOKING AHEAD
With the Blue Jackets now in the rearview mirror, the Bruins will now look ahead to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. A starting date has yet to be determined, but with at least one second-round series heading to a Game 7 (Dallas / St. Louis), the Bruins will have a few more days to lick their wounds before taking on the Canes.
