BSJ Playoffs Report: Bruins 5, Hurricanes 2 - Power play wakes up, powers club in 3rd period taken at TD Garden (2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs)

(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs

BSJ Playoffs Report: Bruins 5, Hurricanes 2 - Power play wakes up, powers club in 3rd period

By Conor Ryan

May 10, 2019 • 12:53 am

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Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

TWO TAKEAWAYS

Special teams are going to dictate this series: Entering Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, the Bruins boasted the top power play in the postseason, cashing in on 28.6% of all of their bids. Down the other end of the ice, the Hurricanes possessed the 13th ranked penalty kill with just a 75.0% success rate.

It sure didn’t feel like it through the first 40 minutes of play — as the Bruins only landed two shots on goal and generated three scoring chances through their first two chances on the power play, while the Canes lit the lamp and landed eight shots on goal during 4:03 on 5v4 action.

The third period was a different story, however, as the B’s buried two of their three opportunities during 5v4 play in the stanza to go ahead for good in an eventual 5-2 win — with Charlie Coyle and Chris Wagner adding on goals over the final three minutes of play. If the Bruins are going to get past Carolina and punch their ticket to the Cup Final, they’re going to need to capitalize on special teams. Even with some lapses in execution to open the game, Boston’s power play has the personnel to bury Carolina in 5v4 play — and offset the frantic pace that Carolina loves to maintain during 5v5. 

B’s dodge a bullet with Zdeno Chara: Already without Charlie McAvoy due to a one-game suspension, a depleted B’s blue line had a major scare near the end of the first period, as a shot by Sebastian Aho on a Canes’ power play struck Zdeno Chara in the ankle, dropping the 6-foot-9 defenseman to the ice. In obvious pain on the B’s bench, Chara eventually headed down the tunnel for treatment, and appeared to be AWOL for the start of the second period. However, just ahead of puck drop in the middle stanza, Chara made his way back to the bench, and slotted back on Boston’s top pairing just minutes later.




This has been far from a perfect postseason for the 42-year-old captain, who has been caught out of position and made some uncharacteristic mistakes when pressured with the puck. Still, the Bruins are in much, much worse shape if No. 33 is not on the ice, especially when it comes to his prowess on the PK. The Bruins are going to need all the help that they can get in that area —as the Hurricanes still managed to land eight shots on goal against
Tuukka Rask
over three different power plays.


FOUR UP


Steven Kampfer:
An addition to the lineup due to McAvoy’s suspension, Kampfer didn’t lose a step in just his second career playoff game — logging 14:56 of ice time and posting a 57.15 CF%. Of course, the 30-year-old veteran made his biggest contribution on the box score, snapping a puck past Petr Mrazek just 2:55 into the first period. For Kampfer, who was a healthy scratch for all of Boston’s Cup run in 2011, it was a fitting result.




Marcus Johansson:
So much for all that criticism from Mike Milbury about Johansson being a “marshmallow soft” player down low. The winger took his lumps while battling down at the netfront on Boston’s second power-play unit, and was eventually rewarded when he buried the tying goal on the power play at 2:26 in the third period. Add in his contributions on Kampfer’s goal — in which he picked
Justin Faulk’s
pocket at the blue line and fed the trailing B’s defenseman in the slot — and there were few faults in No. 90’s game all night.




Patrice Bergeron:
He's still snakebit during 5v5 play (zero goals and just two secondary assists), but Bergeron continues to be money on the man advantage — burying his fifth power-play goal of the postseason at 2:54 in the third to give Boston the lead for good. Bergeron’s five goals on the power play stand as the most scored by a B’s player in a single postseason since
Cam Neely
scored nine during the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs.


Tuukka Rask:
Ho hum, another strong night from Rask, who finished with 29 saves on the night — including seven saves against the Hurricanes’ power play.




THREE DOWN


Connor Clifton:
Rough shake for the rookie to suddenly be put up on the top pairing — in a conference final, no less — but the defenseman did make a couple of miscues with the puck, whole generating a CF% of 30.77. He was nearly whistled for a penalty in the seconds after
Jordan Staal
boarded
Chris
Wagner
,
but a quick-reacting
Brad Marchand
allowed Boston to keep its chance on the power play.


Krejci Line:
A bit of a so-so showing from the second line, who were only able to generate two shots on goal in 6:55 of 5v5 TOI together, while being out on the ice for
Greg McKegg’s
goal in the second period.


Dougie Hamilton:
Two penalties in the span of 2:48 for Hamilton in the third period, with the first infraction leading to the power play where Bergeron buried the game-winner. Bit of a rough return to TD Garden.


TURNING POINT




PLAY OF THE GAME




PARTING THOUGHT


Hang around near the glass at your own risk:




In other news, it’s always good to see
Ray Bourque
back at the Garden.




LOOKING AHEAD


The Eastern Conference Finals will continue on Sunday, as the B’s will host Carolina for a Mother’s Day matinee at 3 p.m.

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