Bruins Explode for 4 Goals in 3rd Period to Defeat Hurricanes & Take 3-1 Series Lead

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.

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.

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.

Shortly after, Connor Clifton — noted Canes’ playoff killer — tied the game by scoring his first of the playoffs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!