Second Round, Game 2: Bruins 2 Columbus 3 (OT)
The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued as the Bruins and the Blue Jackets met in Boston for game 2. With the Bruins trying to increase their lead in the series, the Blue Jackets battled to tie it up at one a piece. This game started hard and fast as everybody was hitting everybody starting with Zdeno Chara laying a huge open ice hit on Riley Nash, a little retaliation from Nash’s high hit on David Krejci in game 1.
This inspired the Bruins who would continue to play a physical game. About 8 minutes into the game with the Bruins on the power play, Matt Grzelcyk would fire a slap shot past Sergei Bobrovsky who would get a tip on the puck but couldn’t get the save.
Late in the first period as the time was winding down, Brad Marchand took a cross checking penalty which would give the Blue Jackets a power play to start the second period. Artemi Panarin would tie the game with a one timer from the left circle. The Bruins would respond fairly quickly when Charlie Coyle made a rush towards the net with a power move, and wrapped the puck around the net where it would deflect off David Pastrnak and find the back of the net.
Later on in the second period with the Bruins holding a one goal lead, they started to play very sloppy having a hard time clearing their defensive zone. Charlie Coyle would commit a very bad turnover when he threw the puck in the middle of the ice where the Jackets would pick it up and pass it to Panarin who would snipe a shot past Tuukka Rask to tie the game once again. In the third period it was more of the same as the Bruins continued to play sloppy giving up the puck in bad areas and not producing any offense. However, Tuukka Rask played phenomenal and kept the Bruins in the game as he wouldn’t allow another goal in regulation.
The game would eventually go to overtime for the second time in as many games and from start to finish was there action. The Bruins in the overtime period would hit the post twice and be robbed by Bobrovsky a number of times.
Columbus would get many opportunities as well and Tuukka Rask continued to keep the B’s alive. Tuukka has been locked in since game 6 against Toronto last series and continues in this series making huge saves all night.
It would end up going to a second overtime where the Bruins looked all the same turning over the puck and committing bad penalties. Patrice Bergeron would take a trip penalty in the offensive zone setting up the Blue Jackets with a power play early at the start of the period. Matt Duchene would end the game when he got a rebound right to his skate and he was able to get the puck to his stick and fire it past Rask. The Bruins really need these next two off days to rest up and come out ready when they play in Columbus on Monday night. They have to play a better game or else this series could be slipping away in Columbus.
Videos courtesy of NHL.com