It only took one period. Actually 6 minutes and 51 seconds of one period for the Bruins to turn a lackluster performance into a decisive and series altering win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Boston entered the third period down 2-0 but then erupted for 4 goals over 6:51 of the 3rd period en route to a 4-3 Game 4 win and now a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the best of 7 series.
Recap
The Bruins went down early. Midway through the frame Justin Williams fired a shot past Jaroslav Halak to give the Hurricanes an early 1-0 lead.
?GOAL!?
Justin Williams beats Jaroslav Halak glove side. Carolina leads late in the first.
Hurricanes: 1
Bruins: 0 pic.twitter.com/UxmIr0qjSf— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 18, 2020
Jordan Martinook gave Carolina a 2-0 lead about 12 minutes into the second period, catching Halak off his line. The Bruins entered period 3 down 2-0.
?GOAL!?
After a number of chances for Boston, Jordan Martinook fires one past Halak to extend Carolina’s lead.
Hurricanes: 2
Bruins: 0 pic.twitter.com/PkBY3SQvDr— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 18, 2020
Jake DeBrusk finally got the Bruins on the board with his first goal of the playoffs by beating James Reimer (who started in place of Peter Mrazek) to a loose puck 7:26 into the third period.
?GOAL!?
An acrobatic hustle play from Jake DeBrusk results in a huge Bruins goal to cut Carolina’s lead in half!
Hurricanes: 2
Bruins: 1 pic.twitter.com/j9lVwp6IGi— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 18, 2020
Shortly after, Connor Clifton — noted Canes’ playoff killer — tied the game by scoring his first of the playoffs.
?GOAL!?
Connor Clifton with a bullet of a one-timer, and we are tied in the third period!
Bruins: 2
Hurricanes: 2 pic.twitter.com/f7bn90jrmw— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 18, 2020
And, well, then you can leave it up to the pest himself, Brad Marchand, who gave Boston a 3-2 lead at 11:40 of the period.
?GOAL!?
Brad Marchand on the breakaway! The Bruins take the lead with 8:20 remaining!
Bruins: 3
Hurricanes: 2 pic.twitter.com/M4NJbyPyc7— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 18, 2020
DeBrusk then tallied his second of the night, Boston’s fourth goal of the game, to give the B’s a solid 4-2 lead.
?GOAL!?
Jake DeBrusk tacks on an insurance goal! What a third period for Boston!
Bruins: 4
Hurricanes: 2 pic.twitter.com/uZfxJLCRPh— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 18, 2020
The Hurricanes didn’t quit, though, after letting the game get away from them. Teuvo Tervainen cut Boston’s lead to 4-3 with the extra skater on the ice… but it was too late.
?GOAL!?
Teuvo Teravainen cuts it to one late.
Bruins: 4
Hurricanes: 3 pic.twitter.com/mxHuH3ZaRd— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 18, 2020
The Bruins, after exploding in the third period, have taken a 3-1 series lead on the Hurricanes and have the opportunity to win the series on Wednesday.
Three Stars of the Game
You have to give DeBrusk the first star of the game in this one as he ignited the B’s offense with his third period goal.
The second star of the game, of course, is Clifton, who notched a goal and an assist in the victory.
Finally, Ondrej Kase looked terrific all night. Despite not scoring, he capped off Game 4 with two assists, earning himself third star honors.
Play of the Game
There are plenty of options to choose from for play of the game, but DeBrusk’s second goal of the night stood out… specifically because of the play by his linemates.
The chemistry of David Krejci, Ondrej Kase and Jake DeBrusk is off the charts.
DeBrusk with the finish. Wow pic.twitter.com/L0DHEtbr30
— Evan Marinofsky (@emarinofsky) August 18, 2020
As Evan Marinofsky points out, David Krejci and Kase made DeBrusk’s night a lot easier by handing him the puck and allowing him to get to work.
Tweet of the Night
Shout out to Conor Ryan, who consistently puts out some fire tweets during B’s games.
james reimer vs. the bruins in the third period pic.twitter.com/Z5LhZg37wM
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) August 18, 2020
Looking Ahead
- If the Bruins play like they did in the third period through 60 minutes in Game 5, this series should be over by Wednesday.
- Clifton looked very good in this game, so don’t expect him to come out of the lineup in favor of Jeremy Lauzon any time soon.
- Jordan Staal exited the third period with an undisclosed injury and did not return. If he’s out for Game 5, along with Andrei Svechnikov, the Hurricanes will be in some serious trouble.
- Will Rod Brind’Amour turn back to Petr Mrazek in goal? It seems that way after Reimer’s third period disaster.
Game 5 between these two teams is set for Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET — buckle up!