Friday night at the Canadian Tyre Centre saw the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins face off for game five, with the Senators currently leading 3-1 in their best of seven series.
The Bruins gave up an early penalty, when Brad Marchand was given a minor for interference against Zach Smith. The Bruins killed this penalty, then received a 
powerplay of their own when Marc Methot tripped David Pastrnak. The Senators weathered the storm, and Methot returned to the ice and the score was still 0-0.
Just over half way through the period, with the puck deep in the Senators zone, Derick Brassard sent a long pass to Mike Hoffman. His long pass to Mark Stone, as Stone was heading to the Bruins blue line, saw Stone in space and heading straight at Tuukka Rask. As he headed across in front of the goal, a quick back hand as Rask was off balance put the Senators in to the lead – a lead they held for the rest of the period.
The second period started, and the puck was once more deep in the Senators zone. Alexandre Burrows quick pass to Viktor Stalberg was sent on to Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who had got himself in front of the pack. Heading fast through the neutral zone, his eyes firmly on the goal, Rask made himself big to fill the space between the pipes.
Pageau spotted a gap, and sent the puck between Rask’s legs and made the score 2-0 after just thirty seconds of play.
Bruins rallied, and tried to fight back, and minutes later the Senators were trying to get the puck out of their zone again. As it was knocked towards centre ice, Patrice Bergeron was stood on the blue line, managing to keep the puck from crossing it. Bergeron flicked the puck back in to Marchand who went down the boards and behind the goal. Craig Anderson at the post then coming out to follow Marchand to stop the wrap around goal, but Anderson hadn’t seen Pastrnak appear on the other side of the goal. Marchand passed straight through the crease, and Pastrnak had all the space he needed to start the scoring for the Bruins.
With three minutes left in the period, Joe Morrow chipped a pass from out at the point to behind the goal line, where David Backes picked it up and headed towards the corner, taking some of the Senators defence with him. His back pass went to Sean Kuraly, who went behind the goal. As Kuraly came out the other side of the goal, Chris Wideman was bearing down at him. Kuraly hit the puck at Wideman’s feet, the puck hitting the blade of Wideman’s skate, rebounding and slipping in past the post making the score 2-2.
The third Boston out shot the Senators nine shots to five, and gave up two penalties (Dominic Moore for delay of game and a too many men on the ice penalty), but the end of regulation came and the score was still 2-2, sending the game to overtime.
Two minutes in to overtime, and the Senators sat a penalty, Clark MacArthur for high sticking against Colin Miller. Bruins couldn’t capitalise on it though, and the Senators killed the penalty.
Noel Accari suffered heart break in overtime, after Sean Kuraly’s shot was stopped by Anderson, Kuraly tripped over Anderson’s leg and Accari knocked the rebound in to the goal. The goal, however, was disallowed on grounds of netminder interference.
The first period of overtime ended, and the score was still 2-2.
The second period of overtime and Bergeron took a turn in the penalty box for interference against Stone. Senators couldn’t break through and Bergeron came back on to the ice with a game still to play.
Ten minutes through, the puck was dropped for a face off in the Senators end of the ice, Backes sweeping it back to Charlie McAvoy at the point. McAvoy’s shot was stopped by Erik Karlsson’s skate, but the puck skittered away to Kuraly, who powered it in to the Senators goal, ending the game 3-2, earning himself his first NHL goal.
“A lot of good plays leading up to it,” Kuraly said. “I was just at the tail end of it. Puck lands on my stick and I pass it into the back of the net … and those are the good ones. You don’t get many of those. But hey, bounced on my stick tonight. Happy that it did.”
Throughout the game, Rask had faced thirty nine shots, while Anderson had to face forty three.
This game was Kuraly’s eleventh NHL game, and talking about him afterwards Rask said “Hardworking guy, he does the right things. Chips the puck in and goes out there and bangs bodies and gets his nose dirty. It just goes to show that when you do that you get rewarded. Great example.”
The Bruins win means that there will be a game six in the series, back in Boston at the TD Garden on Sunday night.
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