The Boston Bruins dropped Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.
Boone Jenner netted Columbus’ first goal of the night after beating Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton in a 1-on-1 battle. Right before Jenner fired the shot from the left hash-mark, Clifton dove with his stick extended in front of him, deflecting the puck, which ultimately beat Tuukka Rask to put the Blue Jackets up 1-0 late in the first period.
FIRE the CANNON!
The @BlueJacketsNHL open the scoring. #BOSvsCBJ here: https://t.co/YugQLbt0jn pic.twitter.com/eZOxgImgQR
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) April 30, 2019
Clifton isn’t completely to blame here for the goal, but Hockey Night in Canada’s Don Cherry felt differently.
Don Cherry RIPS Connor Clifton for the Columbus Blue Jackets’ first goal pic.twitter.com/LI0wS4zjEV
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) May 1, 2019
“If my defense ever did stupid things like that, they would hear about it,” Cherry said about Clifton’s play. “And that was stupid.”
Seems a bit harsh, but it is Don Cherry after all. His takes have given certain NHL teams rallying cries this season (looking at you, Carolina).
The Bruins look to tie the series at two Thursday night in Columbus. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
