The Boston Bruins scored a pair of powerplay goals just 28 seconds apart in the third period Thursday, and went on to add two more late goals in a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden in Boston.
Bostons Steven Kampfer opened the scoring with his first career playoff goal at 2:55 of the first period. Marcus Johansson set the entire play up by stealing the puck at his own blue line and broke down the right wing boards. Johansson stopped just inside the Hurricanes blue line and backhanded a pass to a wide open Kampfer in the high slot, who wristed a shot to the stick side of Carolina goalie Petr Mrazek to make it 1-0. The visitors tied the score though just 39 seconds later on a powerplay. Just three seconds into the powerplay, Sebastian Aho tipped a Andrei Svechnikov shot from the left point past Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask to make it 1-1 at 3:34.
Carolina took their only lead of the night when Greg McKegg drove to the net on a partial breakout at 9:18 of the second. McKegg crashed into Rask after a push from Kampfer, but the puck clearly went into the net before any collision with the goaltender and Boston didn’t ask for any review.
The third period was the difference in this game. Johansson tied it when he cleaned up a Brad Marchand shot at 2:26 to make it 2-2 on the powerplay, and then on another powerplay 28 seconds later the Bruins went on top to stay when Marchand received a pass to the left of Mrazek and quickly passed to Patrice Bergeron who was alone in the slot and one timed it in that ended up as the game winner to make it 3-2 Boston. With the net empty and less than 2:30 left, Brandon Carlo shot one from his own blue line that deflected off his teammates Sean Kuraly and then Charlie Coyle and into the net at 17:47. The goal went to Coyle and was his sixth of the playoffs. Just 11 seconds later Chris Wagner finished off the scoring with a breakaway goal.
Rask made 29 saves in the win, while Mrazek made 23 in the loss. Johansson had a goal and an assist and Marchand added two assists in the victory. Boston went 2-5 on the powerplay, while Carolina was 1-3. Game two is scheduled for 3 pm Sunday at TD Garden.
