The goal that sent the Boston Bruins to the Eastern Conference semifinals was a greasy one.
Patrice Bergeron scored what proved to be the winning tally with just 3.5 seconds left in the second period of Boston's 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series.
With Jordan Martinook in the box for roughing Ondrej Kase, the Bruins' top power-play unit got going. With the clock winding down, Bergeron went behind the net to gather a loose puck from a shot that went wide. As quickly as he garnered the puck he released it, throwing it in from a sharp angle. The puck hit Carolina goalie Petr Mrazek's skate and caromed past the goal line just before the horn sounded to end the period.
It was a savvy play by the veteran center, who admitted after the game it's a move he doesn't consider trying often.
"Usually not," Bergeron said after the game over a Zoom call. "If you’re at the start of a power play, if you have time, if the clock is not winding down, you’re trying to keep the possession and keep the play going. On that one with a few seconds left, I was just trying to, again, put it on net. Like I said, as I looked, I saw he was standing up and I was just trying to throw it on his feet. We got lucky on that one and I’ll take it."
Even if it was a little lucky, it's certainly not a play anyone on the Bruins bench had any qualms with.
