Bergeron Scores Double-Overtime Game-Winner, Bruins Take 1-0 Series Lead On Hurricanes
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Bruins finally have a victory in the NHL's bubble. And this one counted.
The Bruins won a rather tight one against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday, thanks to Patrice Bergeron scoring the game-winner just 73 seconds into the double-overtime period. David Pastrnak delivered the slick assist on that game-winning score.
That goal gave the Bruins a 4-3 victory and a 1-0 series lead over Carolina.
Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots for Boston, while Petr Mrazek made 36 saves for Carolina.
The Hurricanes struck first, when Joel Edmundson blasted a one-timer through Tuukka Rask's six-hole 13:02 into the first period. A defensive lapse left Edmundson all alone in the high slot, and Teuvo Teravainen was able to find him with a pass that went through the legs of Anders Bjork.
The Bruins responded, though, tying the game almost four minutes later on a designed play off an offensive zone faceoff win. Brad Marchand wheeled the puck to the corner before sending a feed across the goalmouth to David Pastrnak, who finished the play with a quick flip over the shoulder of Mrazek.
The 1-1 score held to the first intermission, after a period where the Bruins outshot Carolina 9-4.
The Bruins took a lead early in the second period, after Mrazek failed to cover a loose puck. Nick Ritchie knocked the puck free from under Mrazek's glove, and Charlie Coyle was in the right place at the right time to pounce on the free puck and bury it into the vacated net to put the Bruins ahead 2-1.
The Bruins' first lead since entering the bubble didn't last long, though.
Carolina challenged that goal for a missed stoppage but lost the challenge, thus resulting in a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game. But the Canes scored while shorthanded when Brock McGinn intercepted a Pastrnak pass along the blue line and took off on a breakaway. McGinn deked to his backhand to beat Rask.
The 2-2 score held through the end of the second period, at which point the Bruins held a 21-9 advantage in shots on goal.
The Bruins once again gained a lead when David Krejci scored less than a minute into the third period. Ondrej Kase, moments after failing to score on a doorstep bid of his own, fed Krejci, who calmly deked around Mrazek and deposited the puck into the net.
But that lead didn't hold, either, as Haydn Fleury's wrister from the blue line found its way through traffic in front. Rask didn't see the puck until it was too late, and the game was tied at 3-3 with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
The two teams played 20 minutes of scoreless hockey during the first overtime period, during which the Bruins outshot Carolina 11-6.
The game had originally been scheduled for Tuesday night, but the Columbus-Tampa Bay game played in the same arena required five overtimes, thus pushing the start time from 8 p.m. on Tuesday to 11 a.m. on Wednesday. It marked the earliest start time for a playoff game in NHL history.
The teams won't have any time to rest up, as Game 2 will take place Thursday night at 8 p.m.
