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TORONTO – Jake DeBrusk scored twice in Boston’s dominating third period to help the Bruins rally and beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Monday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Brad Marchand and Connor Clifton also scored in the third, helping Boston erase a 2-0 deficit entering the period. It was a stunning turnaround – complete with the Bruins taking a 16-2 edge in shots on goal in those final 20 minutes – that now has Boston within a win of advancing in a series that looked headed for a 2-2 tie.
Game 5 is Wednesday, with the Bruins having the chance to eliminate the Hurricanes from the Stanley Cup playoffs again after sweeping Carolina in last year’s Eastern Conference finals.
Justin Williams and Jordan Martinook scored to give Carolina the 2-0 lead before the Bruins ran off four consecutive goals.
Boston Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk goes airborne after colliding with Carolina Hurricanes goaltender James Reimer but manages to score. (Photo: Dan Hamilton, USA TODAY Sports)
DeBrusk started the rally by scoring his first goal of the game while airborne as Hurricanes goalie James Reimer came out to stop him.
🎶 Soarin’ Flyin’ 🎶
Jake DeBrusk makes it a 1 goal game. 🚨#NHLonSNpic.twitter.com/i9TE99pR1Y— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 18, 2020
Clifton tied the game on the first shift after Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy sent Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal to the dressing room with a big hit.
Charlie McAvoy with a MASSIVE hit on Jordan Staal pic.twitter.com/U9nRbnTTac— Evan Marinofsky (@emarinofsky) August 18, 2020
Marchand scored on a breakaway to give Boston a 3-2 lead.
Reimer made his second start of the series in net for the Hurricanes after Petr Mrazek had started Games 1 and 3, shutting out the Bruins for two periods before faltering as Boston took over by relentlessly keeping the puck in the offensive zone. He finished with 29 saves.
Jaroslav Halak finished with 16 saves, though the Bruins made it easy on him in the third by not surrendering a shot until Teuvo Teravainen’s late goal.
NOTES: Boston’s David Pastrnak hasn’t played since Game 1. He had 48 regular-season goals to tie Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the league lead. … DeBrusk scored his 12th and 13th playoff goals since his 2018 postseason debut. … The Hurricanes were also without D Joel Edmundson for the third consecutive game. … Jake Gardiner assisted on Williams’ first-period goal for his first postseason point with Carolina.
