The Boston Bruins struggled mightily through large chunks of Game 4 against the St. Louis Blues.
That ultimately is why Boston suffered a 4-2 defeat Monday night, but the fact remains that the B’s still were in a pretty decent position to steal a game on the road and claim a massive 3-1 series lead. The teams were knotted at two midway through the third period. That was until a brutally slow change from the Bruins flipped things in the Blues favor.
Patrice Bergeron cleared the puck along the boards, with the puck trickling out just past the center-ice line. Four of the five Bruins on the ice went for a change as the Blues transitioned into another rush, with Torey Krug getting caught out.
Blues defender Alex Pietrangelo rushed the offensive zone with the Bruins’ late change allowing St. Louis to gain a clean entry. Pietrangelo fired a slap shot, knowing he had Ryan O’Reilly charging the net with the Bruins defense chasing.
Take a look at the sequence:
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(If the video is not working, click here)
O’Reilly ultimately was able to get the inside position on Charlie McAvoy, who had just hopped on the ice, and net the game-winning goal, accurately described here by Tuukka Rask.
Had the Bruins executed a cleaner line change, a forward may have been able to pressure Pietrangelo and McAvoy may have been able to seal off O’Reilly.
Instead, the series is tied at two games apiece.
