Bruins rattle Hurricanes, win Game 4 and send playoff series back to Carolina tied 2-2
.JPG "Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi, of Finland (82) grapples with Boston Bruins’ Charlie Coyle (13), right, as Bruins’ Josh Brown (44), behind, looks on in the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, May 8, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)")
The Carolina Hurricanes are making it awfully hard on themselves.
The Canes couldn’t stay out of the penalty box Sunday and for the second straight game couldn’t beat the Boston Bruins in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
The Bruins made it two in a row at TD Garden, punching out a 5-2 victory over the Canes in Game 4 to even the series 2-2. They also did it without their best defenseman, Charlie McAvoy, who was placed in COVID-19 protocol hours before Sunday’s game.
The Bruins already were without defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who took a massive hit from the Canes’ Andrei Svechnikov in Game 2 and has been sidelined. McAvoy’s loss was another big hit, taking away Boston’s power-play quarterback.
But goalie Jeremy Swayman gave the Bruins another winning effort in net and Brad Marchand had two goals and three assists scored as Boston continues to build momentum.
Game 5 will be played Tuesday at PNC Arena, where the Cannes rolled to two victories to start the series outscoring Boston 10-3.
The Canes’ penalty killers got the job done for most of the first two periods Sunday, denying the Bruins on one 5-on-3 power play in the second.
But the mistakes finally burned the Canes. Jake DeBrusk scored on the power play for the Bruins, poking the puck free from goalie Antti Raanta and into the net with 1:16 left in the second period.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour challenged for goaltender interference but the ruling was a good goal and thus a delay-of-game penalty on the Hurricanes. That soon became a 5-on-3 when the Canes’ Sebastian Aho was called for a double minor for high-sticking.
Given a second chance with a two-man advantage early in the third, the Bruins converted as Marchand scored.
Another ruling favored the Bruins: Marchand’s goal was ruled to have scored with one second left on the 5-on-3, leaving 2:53 left on the Aho’s double minor.
The Canes did get out of that jam, with some Bruins help — Matt Grzelcyk was called for high-sticking. But a David Pastrnak goal at 5:44 of the third pushd the lead to 4-2.
Until the run of penalties, the Canes seemed in good shape Brett Pesce scored off the rush for a 1-0 lead in the first, and Jordan Staal’s goal early in the second lifted the Canes into a 2-1 lad.
Th Bruins scored their first goal after taking advantage of the last change at home. The Patrice Bergeron line converted against the Canes fourth line as Bergeron won on a faceoff in the Caned zone and then beat Raanta at the post.
The Canes began stringing together good forechecking shifts in the second, making the Bruins work in their zone. But the string of penalties was too much for the Canes to overcome.
