After a listless span of play that covered the second half of the first period and most of the second, the Bruins erupted for two power-play goals in the first three minutes of the final period to start Boston on its way to a 5-2 victory and a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston jumped out to a 1-0 lead 2:55 into the game as Steven Kampfer lit the lamp with his first postseason goal. But Carolina started to dominate play and potted two of their own to lead 2-1 heading into the third period.
But the Bruins did close the period strong. The question was, could they continue it into the third?
The answer was an emphatic yes, as the Bruins took two power plays and converted thanks to Marcus Johansson and Patrice Bergeron. They added two goals late to ice the game.
BEDARD’S THREE STARS
Brad Marchand: Two primary assists got the Bruins tied and into the lead.
Tuukka Rask: Was money again with 29 saves on 31 shots.
Marcus Johansson: Had a goal and an assist. Was dangerous the entire game.
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- With a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line, the 2019 Eastern Conference Final is poised to be a fascinating matchup, as the Hurricanes present a blend of speed and size that could cause some issues for Boston, especially if they can’t solve Carolina’s forecheck.
- There are a TON of matchups worth following in this series, but the one I think Boston can exploit is on the power play, with the B’s still leading all playoff clubs with a 28.6 percent success rate on the man advantage. Down the other end of the ice, Carolina’s PK ranks 13th overall among the 16 playoff clubs with a 75.0 percent success rate. Add in the Canes’ sluggish power play (10.5 percent success rate), and it’s clear that Boston needs to capitalize during special-teams play.
- With Charlie McAvoy suspended for Game 1, it will be Steven Kampfer that gets the call on Thursday as Boston’s next man up on the blue line. Will be fascinating to see how a Chara-Clifton pairing pans out, although look for Bruce Cassidy to continuously shuffle up his D pairs. No other lineup changes for Boston, with Noel Acciari set to miss his third straight game due to an upper-body injury.
- The Hurricanes did not practice today, with head coach Rod Brind’Amour choosing to not reveal which of his goalies will get the nod in Game 1 — either Mrazek or McElhinney. Micheal Ferland, who hasn’t played since April 15, also could take part in warm-ups tonight.