BOSTON — The Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final was highlighted by a four-goal third. But perhaps taking a bit of backseat to the third-period onslaught was the play of Boston’s defensive unit.
With Charlie McAvoy suspended for Game 1 of the series, that left a pretty glaring hole on Boston’s top pairing. But Connor Clifton did an admirable job in a minutes bump and Steven Kampfer made the most of his night, scoring the game’s first goal.
All of that came to no surprise to Tuukka Rask.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Rask said of the defensemen stepping up with McAvoy out. “I’m not surprised at all, we have been doing that all year. It’s great to see. (Kampfer) got the big goal for us in the first period. We defended hard again, big blocks, got pucks outs. That’s what we have to do this time of year.”
The two goals the Bruins did allow were a power-play marker and a grindy goal from Greg McKegg charging the net and colliding with Rask as the puck slid across the line.
The second period certainly got dicey for the Bruins, who spent the large majority of the middle 20 in their own end, but the defense never broke and Rask stood tall, finishing with 29 saves.
McAvoy returns to the lineup in Game 2, but the Bruins must feel awfully confident knowing they have guys who can step up when called upon.
