The Boston Bruins have run into a red hot goaltender and a red hot team in the second round of the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves and Matt Duchene scored the game winner for a second straight game, as the Columbus Blue Jackets topped the Bruins 2-1 Tuesday night in game three of an Eastern Conference semifinal series at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus struck first in front of the home fans. Boone Jenner deked around Boston defenseman Connor Clifton from right to left in the slot, then beat Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask with a hard wrister to the glove side at 18:37 of the first to make it 1-0. It was Jenners first playoff goal in the seventh playoff game this season for the Jackets.
The Blue Jackets turned up the pressure in the second. A penalty to the Bruins Brad Marchand at 10:49 put the Blue Jackets powerplay to work. A scramble in front of the net was nearly poked in right in front of Rask, but the goalie kept it out. Moments later though Duchene got a second rebound and scored the game winner on a similar looking play when he scored in double overtime in game two, poking it through the legs of Rask to make the score 2-0 at 12:42. The hosts nearly made it a three goal game about 1:15 later but a shot went over the net, that clearly would of beaten Rask if it was on target. Jake Debrusk got Boston within one poking a backhander on a loose puck in the crease also through the legs of Bobrovsky with just 40 seconds left. The whistle had sounded and the goal was originally waved off, but after a review it was reversed and called a good goal.
Noel Acciari had a great chance to even the score for Boston just over five minutes into the third period, beating Bobrovsky with an open slap shot in the slot but it rang off the post to the right of the goaltender to preserve a one goal Jackets lead. Brandon Carlo also hit the crossbar with a shot in the third period. The Bruins went to the powerplay with 8:42 left to try to solve the Jackets goalie again. After a centering pass to Marcus Johansson was whiffed on in front of the Columbus net, Josh Anderson stole the puck and had a partial breakaway by beating Marchand, and was tripped by Patrice Bergeron for a penalty to thwart the powerplay chance. The visitors outshot the Jackets 15-7 in the final 20 minutes but could not come up with an equalizer, despite pulling Rask with a little less than two minutes left. The last great chance came with the goalie pulled and a minute left when Torey Krug had an open look for a shot, that was deflected in the slot by Bergeron and changed direction but Bobrovsky made the adjustment and held onto it.
Bobrovsky continued his solid netminding in yet another Columbus win, as the Blue Jackets improved to 6-1 in the postseason. Rask also played solid and made 32 saves in the loss, as the Bruins fell to 5-5 so far in the postseason. David Krejci and Karson Kuhlman both had assists on the Debrusk goal. Boston was 0-2 on the powerplay, while Columbus was 1-3. A key game four from Ohio is set for a 7:30 pm faceoff Thursday night.
