The Bruins rode the strong goaltending of Tuukka Rask and the re-emergence of their No. 1 line's scoring to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2 and now look to take a 3-2 lead when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight in Game 5 at TD Garden.
Rask made 39 saves and B's stars Patrice Bergeron (two goals), David Pastrnak (a goal and an assist) and Brad Marchand (an assist) broke through in the victory after being held to just one point (Pastrnak's Game 2 goal) in the first three games of the series.
A victory tonight would give the Bruins a chance to close out the series Monday in Columbus. Game 7, if necessary, would be Wednesday in Boston.
The Carolina Hurricanes await the winner of this series in the Eastern Conference finals. Carolina advanced Friday night by completing a four-game sweep of the New York Islanders with a 5-2 victory. Not to get too far ahead, but Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals would be in Boston, perhaps next weekend. if the Bruins advance.
The Bruins are 17-16 all-time when tied 2-2 in a best-of-seven series, but 15-8 in those series when they have home-ice advantage as they do here. They have a 16-17 record in those Game 5s, and are 13-3 when winning Game 5, and 12-2 when winning Game 5 at home.
Here's how and when to watch Bruins vs. Blue Jackets Game 5 online
When: Saturday, 7:15 p.m. ET
TV Channel: NBC (following Kentucky Derby coverage)
Live Stream: NBC Sports App
Boston Bruins
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