One of the main talking points of the Bruins’ second-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets has been the absence of production from Boston’s top line.
David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron each got on the board with tallies Thursday night in Boston, but it was the fourth line, which was tremendous in the Bruins’ first-round series, that provided the insurance.
A vicious forecheck by Joakim Nordstrom gave the Bruins entry into the offensive zone.
David Backes wheeled behind the net and threw a puck to Zdeno Chara at the point. Chara wristed one intentionally wide of the net, and the carom bounced in front of the net, where Sean Kuraly was able to make it a 3-1 game at 8:40 of the third period.
The Bruins have had some tough bounces go the other way, and have been rather sloppy on the power play, so having a two-goal lead midway through the third period in a must-win game is a big, big momentum swing.
