Saturday night at the TD Garden in Boston saw the Columbus Blue Jackets come to face the Boston Bruins in game 2 in the second round of the Eastern Conference.
The Bruins were the first to score with a powerplay goal from Matt Grzelcyk (assists from Charlie McAvoy and David Krejci), Josh Anderson sitting a penalty for interference against Brandon Carlo.
As the first period ended, Brad Marchand was given a penalty following his cross check to Alexandre Texier, meaning the Blue Jackets came back after the break on a powerplay of their own. Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones helped Artemi Panarin level the score at 1:03 in to the period.
58 seconds later, David Pastrnak put the home team back in the lead after Marcus Johansson’s pass to Charlie Coyle saw Coyle take the puck behind the Blue Jackets goal, Coyle taking a wraparound shot which deflected off Pastrnak’s skate.
Boston picked up another penalty when Zdeno Chara tripped Atkinson, but a minute later Josh Anderson’s hick stick on Sean Kuraly saw the game turn in to 4 on 4 for a short time.
Panarin got himself into space in the face off circle by the Bruins goal. As Coyle tried to clear from behind the goal line, the puck was intercepted by Jones and passed back to Panarin who fired it over the outstretched glove of Tuukka Rask and in to the top of the Boston net, tying the game 2-2 almost half way through the second.
The only penalty in the third period was Atkinson tripping Torey Krug, but with no goals the game went in to overtime.
In the first OT period, McAvoy gave Columbus a chance when he was sent to the box for high sticks, but this period ended and the game was still deadlocked at 2-2.
Period three and Patrice Bergeron being called for tripping Seth Jones gave the Blue Jackets another opportunity, and Atkinson’s big pass across the Bruins zone found Panarin once more in space. Panarin unleashed a huge shot which was blocked but not contained by Rask, and with Matt Duchene there to pick up the rebound he managed to knock it under the netminder and in to the net, ending the game 3-2 to the visitors.
“You work hard to put yourself in a good position I think throughout the game, and you know, tight game and obviously it’s on me obviously to try to avoid that penalty, and that’s it,” Bergeron said. “I mean, yeah it’s a tough loss, but we got to move forward I guess.”
“[Panarin] took a great shot. … I think Rask was expecting it, and it just came to me and I was able to find a hole,” Duchene said.
[WATCH:Â Blue Jackets vs. Bruins Game 2 highlights |Â Complete series coverage]
Rask stopped 38 of the 41 shots he faced. “You have to be there when your teammates need you,” said Blue Jackets goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 29 saves, only allowing 2 to slip past.
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round will be in Columbus at the Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.
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