Final, Bruins 4-2: That’s it, and that’s all. The Bruins hold on for the 4-2 win, and they win the series 4-1. They’ll get the Montreal Canadiens next.
Third period, 19:45, Bruins 4-2: That’ll do it. Jarome Iginla with the empty-netter.
Third period, 19:38, Bruins 3-2: Timeout, Detroit.
Third period, 19:05, Bruins 3-2: The Detroit net is empty.
Third period, 18:57, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins could not convert on the power play. Brad Marchand almost had a breakaway just as the man-advantage was expiring, but Brendan Smith knocked him off the puck and sent Marchand spilling to the ice.
Third period, 16:57, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins will get a chance to ice the game here. The Red Wings were just called for too many men on the ice, and the Bruins get a power play.
Third period, 16:27, Bruins 3-2: This one isn’t over yet
Tuukka Rask made a great save on Justin Abdelkader, but the Bruins couldn’t clear the rebound. Henrik Zetterberg jumped on the loose puck and somehow found the back of the net through a few bodies scrambling in front of the net.
All of a sudden it’s a real tense few minutes for the Bruins now.
Third period, 15:00, Bruins 3-1: The Bruins killed the penalty, thanks to another big stand out of Tuukka Rask who made two really big saves. One of those was an impressive pad save through traffic on a shot from the point.
Third period, 12:42, Bruins 3-1: Another penalty. Brad Marchand shoved down Henrik Zetterberg, and Marchand gets the roughing minor.
Third period, 10:30, Bruins 3-1: The Bruins killed off Patrice Bergeron’s hooking penalty, thanks to a couple of nice saves from Tuukka Rask.
Third period, 8:27, Bruins 3-1: Yet another penalty because why not? Patrice Bergeron was just called for hooking, and the Bruins’ power play is over. The Wings will have about a minute and a half of power-play time after Daniel Alfredsson’s penalty ends.
Third period, 6:59. Bruins 3-1: The Bruins are about to get a chance to really put this thing away.
Daniel Alfredsson was just called for tripping, and the Bruins will get another power play.
Third period, 5:48, Bruins 3-1: Steve Kozari is back and didn’t miss a shift after being tended to during the TV timeout after taking a puck to the face.
Third period, 5:48, Bruins 3-1: Referee Steve Kozari just went to the room after he took a puck to the face. It appears as if they’ll go with just one referee for the time being.
Third period, 4:27, Bruins 3-1: The Bruins may have just iced it.
Johan Franzen made a brutal turnover in an attempt to clear the puck out of his own zone, and Torey Krug stepped right in and stole that pass. He skated down the left wing and centered it to Milan Lucic who was camped out in front. Lucic jammed it by Jonas Gustavasson, and the Bruins now have a 3-1 lead.
Third period, 3:14, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins were able to keep the Red Wings away from the net, and Boston has killed off the Brad Marchand penalty. The game is finally back to even strength.
Third period, 1:11, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins’ power play will be over before it even begins. That’s because Brad Marchand just picked up a roughing penalty. Not sure how it happened, to be honest.
Third period, 0:01, Bruins 2-1: The third period, which should be a doozy, is underway.
Second period reaction: The ups and downs in sports are something else. The Red Wings looked like they were going to be in great position heading into the third period. Pavel Datsyuk scored a power-play goal at the 14:41 mark to tie the game. That came as the Red Wings were really starting to pour it on and increase the pressure on the Bruins.
However, that momentum was interrupted late in the period as the referees took over. Four penalties were called in the final 3:12 of the period, which is how the Bruins were able to wrestle back the lead. The Wings ended up down a man, as the Bruins got a 4-on-3 power play, and they cashed in. Zdeno Chara’s blast from the top of the slot gave the Bruins the lead with just 3.8 seconds to play. That could be a huge swing in momentum that might ultimately end the Wings’ season. Then again, we’ll see because sports.
It might get lost in the shuffle, but Tuukka Rask was very good in the second period, despite allowing that goal to Datsyuk. He’d probably like to have that one back, not because Datsyuk scored, but because of how he was able to score. Rask couldn’t control the rebound on a soft shot from the point, and Datsyuk buried the second-chance opportunity. Other than that, though, Rask has been really good. He made a really good pad save on Niklas Kronwall just a few seconds before the goal, and his save on Daniel Alfredsson earlier in the period may be a game-saver when it’s all said and done.
Other than that, the Bruins need to use any sort of built-up momentum they may have as the third begins. The period can go one of two ways. Either the Bruins come out and run the already downtrodden Wings out of the building, or they give a desperate Detroit club life. The former seems like a better idea. The B’s will get a chance to extend the lead on the power play, though. The period will start 4-on-4 for 40 seconds, and after that the Bruins will have 1:07 of power-play time.
End second period, Bruins 2-1: The second period comes to an end with the Bruins leading 2-1. Boston also holds a 24-20 advantage in shots on goal.
Second period, 19:57, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins are going to take the lead to the dressing room.
Patrice Bergeron found Zdeno Chara at the top of the slot, and Chara blasted a slap shot over the glove of Jonas Gustavsson to give Boston the lead back.
Second period, 19:46, 1-1: Yet another penalty. Brendan Smith is called for hooking, and the Bruins will be up a man for the rest of the period.
Second period, 19:26, 1-1: And the Red Wings repay the Bruins with a penalty of their own. Johan Franzen was called for holding.
Second period, 18:40, 1-1: The Bruins’ power play is over. Loui Eriksson was just called for goaltender interference after appearing to be pushed into Jonas Gustavsson.
Second period, 16:48, 1-1: The Bruins have a power play late the period.
Danny DeKeyser held Jarome Iginla, and the Bruins look for more success on the PP.
Second period, 14:41, 1-1: The Red Wings have tied the game.
Tuukka Rask couldn’t control the rebound on a Henrik Zetterberg shot from the point, and Pavel Datsyuk was there to jump on the loose puck and score from in front and to Rask’s right.
Second period, 14:29, Bruins 1-0: The Red Wings are starting to turn up the pressure, and now they’re going to get a power play to try and tie the game.
Milan Lucic got his tangled up with Brendan Smith behind the Detroit net, and Lucic ended up getting called for high sticking.
Second period, 12:22, Bruins 1-0: Tuukka Rask hasn’t been tested much — just 14 shots for the game — but he just made his best save of the game. The Bruins turned the puck over in a clearing attempt, and that led to a chance for Daniel Alfredsson right in front. His shot was stopped by Tuukka Rask who was able to get his left pad out just in time to make the save.
Second period, 8:00, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins’ first line has been a little quiet so far, but they just had a tremendous shift. The best chance of the long possession in the Detroit end came when Milan Lucic looked to have a pretty open net after curling behind the cage and coming out on Jonas Gustavsson’s left. However, Lucic whiffed on the shot attempt representing another missed chance.
Second period, 5:00, Bruins 1-0: Brad Marchand just had another scoring chance after Patrice Bergeron fed him the puck in front of the net. Marchand whirled and attempted to get a shot off, but the puck was blocked in front by Kyle Quincey.
You get the feeling that Marchand is going to get one at some point in this game — he’s certainly due.
Second period, 0:01, Bruins 1-0: The second period is underway.
First period reaction: All in all, that was a really good first period for the Bruins. They came out with plenty of jump, and they were especially good in the first half of the first period. The highlight of that, of course, was Loui Eriksson’s power-play goal. Dougie Hamilton made a terrific play going end to end and left the pass fro Eriksson who put it by Jonas Gustavsson. Hamilton has had a tremendous series and appears to be growing up right in front of us. He’s handled the puck with a ton of confidence, and that’s now twice he’s gone just about the length of the rink with the Bruins ending up finding the back of the net.
The Bruins’ fourth line has also given the B’s a boost so far. They had two shifts in particular where they were able to keep the puck in the Detroit zone for an extended period of time and really put the pressure on the Red Wings. Shawn Thornton logged three hits in that first period, all of which appeared to come on those two shifts.
Finally, Brad Marchand isn’t going to let his missed opportunities get to him apparently. He’s been real good soo far with a game-high three shots on goal. He did some really good work on the penalty kill, especially late in the period with David Krejci in the box. Marchand had a pair of shorthanded chances during those two minutes, one of which looked like it should have drawn a tripping penalty, but that went uncalled.
End first period, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins killed off the David Krejci penalty, and Brad Marchand came close to potting a shorthanded goal not once, but twice. Another great kill for the Bruins.
They were able to outshoot the Red Wings 11-8 in the first period.
First period, 17:12, Bruins 1-0: The Red Wings have another power play. David Krejci is the guilty Bruin, as he was just sent off for tripping Brendan Smith.
First period, 15:00, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins continue to showcase solid breakout passes, and it turned into a scoring chance for Brad Marchand.
The B’s quickly exited their own zone, and Patrice Bergeron passed the puck ahead through the neutral zone to Marchand. The winger was able to get a shot off from the left wing, but Jonas Gustavsson made the pad save and kept the puck out of danger with the rest of the B’s crashing down on him.
First period, 12:53, Bruins 1-0: Pavel Datsyuk just ripped a slap shot from the right faceoff circle, but Tuukka Rask was in perfect position as he was squared to the shot and made the save.
The Wings have started to slow the Bruins some, as Boston hasn’t had a shot on goal in quite some time.
First period, 7:59, Bruins 1-0: We’re into the first TV timeout, and it’s been all Bruins so far. The B’s have come out with a great effort and own a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal. They’re also taking the body when they get the chance, as evidenced by a big hit from Johnny Boychuk on Luke Glendening behind the Boston net a few moments ago.
First period, 6:30, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins killed off the Shawn Thornton penalty and are back to even strength. A whole lot of nothing from the Detroit power play there.
First period, 4:26, Bruins 1-0: The Red Wings are going to get a crack at the power play now.
Shawn Thornton was sent off for high sticking.
First period, 3:27, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins are on the board first, and the Garden is rocking.
Dougie Hamilton just went end to end once again, and he left the puck for Loui Eriksson in the slot, and Eriksson slid the back-hander underneath Jonas Gustavsson for the first goal of the gmae.
First period 2:34, 0-0: The Bruins are getting the game’s first power play. Justin Abdelkader was just called for hooking, and the B’s get a chance on the man-advantage.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: The game is underway.
3:10 p.m.: The Bruins will start with the Patrice Bergeron line, and the Red Wings will go with Pavel Datsyuk’s line.
2:47 p.m.: It does not appear that there are any lineup changes for the Bruins, and there weren’t any expected changes anyway.
2:40 p.m.: The pregame skate is underway here at the Garden. The only real roster note worth mentioning is that Jimmy Howard is on the ice for the Red Wings. He’ll be the backup goalie, and Jonas Gustavsson will get the start.
Also, no Daniel Paille for the Bruins. Claude Julien said earlier that he didn’t think Paille would be in the lineup, and he was not lying. Paille did skate this morning, Julien said.
2:15 p.m.: Not a whole lot to report from pregame media availability other than the aforementioned Detroit lineup notes. Bruins coach Claude Julien didn’t have a whole lot to say during his press briefing.
So, here are a couple of pregame pieces of reading to hold you over until puck drop in about an hour.
Here’s a story on Brad Marchand, as he attempts to laugh off his Game 4 missed chances.
And here’s a story on Torey Krug, who is having a very nice series against the team he grew up watching.
1:20 p.m.: Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock just wrapped up his pregame media availability, and he says that Daniel Alfredsson is back in the lineup. It’s unclear who he will replace, but Todd Bertuzzi will reportedly be coming out of the lineup.
That’s not the only change the Wings are making. Xavier Ouellet will make his series debut on the Detroit blue line. He’s being inserted into the lineup in place of Jakub Kindl, who has had a rough series.
8 a.m.: The Boston Bruins have faced an overtime in Game 7 in all three of their last first-round playoff series. They’ll have a chance to snap that streak on Saturday where they’ll look to eliminate the Detroit Red Wings.
The B’s and Wings will square off in Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series at TD Garden, and the Bruins will be attempting to close out the series. The B’s have a 3-1 series lead after they were able to come from behind and win Game 4 in overtime on Thursday night in Detroit.
The Bruins would be wise not to get too comfortable. They were in the same exact situation last season when they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre in overtime in Game 4. The B’s couldn’t finish the series in Games 5 or 6, however, and had to come back from a three-goal deficit in Game 7 just to survive the first round. They certainly don’t want to go through that again this year.
“We can learn a lot from last year,” head coach Claude Julien said. “You can look at it whichever way you want. It doesn’t mean that just because it happened before that it has to be the same thing. There are different situations all the time. We have yet to lose respect for that team we’re playing against.”
Boston saw Thursday night in how dangerous the Red Wings can be when they’re playing at their best. Detroit was clearly inspired by the return of Henrik Zetterberg, who saw his first game action since early February. He’ll be back in again on Saturday afternoon. So, too, will goalie Jonas Gustavsson after making the emergency start in place of Jimmy Howard, who was scratched with the flu, according to the team. Gustavsson was really good in Game 4, as he stopped 37 of the Bruins’ 40 shots before allowing Jarome Iginla’s game-winning goal in overtime. Detroit could also see the return of veteran Daniel Alfredsson, who missed the last two games with a back injury.
Puck drop from the Garden is scheduled for 3 p.m.
