For the 20th time in franchise history and the third time in eight years, the Boston Bruins are headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Three Bruins on the top line had multiple point nights, and Tuuka Rask did the rest with 24 saves for a shutout in a 4-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Boston wins the series 4-0.
David Pastrnak scored what turned out to be the game winner at 4:46 of the second period on the powerplay after the teams went scoreless in the first 20 minutes. Torey Krug started the play behind his own net, and passed up to Pastrnak who skated to center ice before shoveling it over to Brad Marchand on the left wing. Marchand exploded over the blue line, and then centered a pass from the left faceoff dots to a driving Pastrnak in the slot, who re-directed the pass into the net to make it 1-0. The rest of the scoring was icing on the cake for the visitors. Patrice Bergeron doubled the lead at 18:34 on another powerplay marker. Some great passing by the Bruins got the puck into the Carolina zone. Then down low to the left of Hurricanes goalie Curtis McElhinney, Pastrnak and Bergeron converted a give and go. Bergeron got it back and snapped a quick shot from the slot right in front glove side on the goaltender to make it 2-0.
Bergeron got a gift wrapped goal at the 10:32 mark of the third. Bergeron deflected an attempted clearing pass by Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin from behind his own net. The deflection found the stick of Pastrnak in the middle of the two faceoff circles, who quickly got it on the stick of Bergeron who tucked it behind McElhinney in a pretty much empty net to make it 3-0. Marchand finished it off with a breakaway empty net goal with 2:17 to play, as Carolina had pulled their goalie with still over five minutes left.
Bergeron had a two goals and an assist on the night, while Pastrnak had a goal and two assists, and Marchand a goal and one assist. It was the second shutout for Rask in the playoffs. Zdeno Chara did not play in the victory and is listed as day to day. Chara had played in 98 consecutive playoff games since 2011 until Thursday night. McElhinney made 19 saves in the loss. Boston was 2-3 on the powerplay, while Carolina was 0-2. In the series the Bruins were 7-15 with the extra man, while the Hurricanes were just 1-14.
Boston advances to the Stanley Cup Finals to try to win their seventh title against either San Jose or St. Louis, where the Sharks currently lead that series 2-1. The Bruins will have the home ice advantage when the Finals do begin. The Bruins won the Cup back in 2011 in seven games over Vancouver, before falling in six games to Chicago in 2013. Boston has now won a franchise record seven straight playoff games outscoring their opponents 28-9, last falling in game three in the second round to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Boston will now also attempt to be just the third city all time in North American professional sports to win a World Series, an NFL title, and a Stanley Cup all within a year (Detroit- Tigers, Lions, Red Wings 1935-36/ and New York- Yankees, Giants, and Rangers 1927-28).
