The Bruins’ backs are up against the wall now, and the situation could not be more dire. Not only are the Bruins down three games to two to the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final, which would always be a worrisome position, but they also came out of their Game 5 loss unsure of the status of Patrice Bergeron.
Bruins coach Claude Julien would not speculate on Bergeron’s condition after one of Boston’s on-ice leaders left the 3-1 loss with an undisclosed injury. There were also more questions about defenseman Zdeno Chara, despite a third-period goal that gave the Bruins some late life. While the Bruins are reeling, the Blackhawks are sitting pretty — Patrick Kane and Corey Crawford in particular.
Kane scored the first two goals, including the second-period backhand that became the game-winner with Crawford stopping 24 of the 25 shots he faced. Chara’s goal 3:40 into the third period provided some hope, but the Hawks were able to turn back the Bruins’ late push and clinched the win on Dave Bolland‘s empty-netter. All in all, the game action provided numerous memorable images that set the stage for what should be an epic Game 6.
