The Boston Bruins have retaken home ice advantage after a Game 4 win at the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nationwide Arena was rocking for Game 4 but the Blue Jackets were unable to take a 3-1 series lead, thanks in large part to a stellar night in net from Tuukka Rask.
Out west, the Colorado Avalanche are also looking to avoid a 3-1 hole against the San Jose Sharks. San Jose's goaltending has been solid in the second round, with Martin Jones posting a .919 save percentage through the first three games. Nathan MacKinnon has scored in the last two games of this series for the Avalanche, so he'll look to do more of the same as Colorado looks to at least even up the series before heading back to the Shark Tank.
All Stanley Cup Playoff games on NBC, NBCSN and USA can be streamed via fuboTV (Try for free).
Stanley Cup Playoffs for Thursday, May 2
Game 4: FINAL -- Bruins 4, Blue Jackets 1 (Series tied 2-2) [Box Score]Game 4: Sharks vs. Avalanche (SJ leads, 2-1) 10 p.m. ET -- TV: NBCSN [Preview]Bruins pull away in third
The Bruins got a big third period performance and managed to add a couple of goals onto their lead. Sean Kuraly put the first insurance goal on the board when he established position in front of the net and put home a Zdeno Chara shot that bounced off the boards behind the net.
Patrice Bergeron added another with his second power play goal of the game, effectively putting the game on ice. The Bruins lock up Game 4 by a final score of 4-1 and head back to Boston with the series tied 2-2.
Deadlocked, but still crazy
No goals during the second period but still plenty of action going both ways. The Blue Jackets controlled a good portion of the middle frame but didn't get anything on the scoreboard to show for it, due in large part to the strong performance of Tuukka Rask between the pipes for the Bruins.
Boston's power play had continued to have issues despite that early power-play goal in the first period. Not only have the Bruins failed to convert on their four attempts since then, but they've continued to allow quality shorthanded chances the other way.
Still, the score remains 2-1 heading into the third.
Off to an insane start
Well, the night of hockey sure got off to an interesting start. The first period in Columbus had a little bit of everything, including some controversy, but we'll get to that in a bit.
First, the Bruins got off to an ideal start with two goals. Not only did they come from two key players who have been uncharacteristically quiet -- David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron -- but one of them also came on the power play. Pastrnak got the party started with a shot that trickled through Sergei Bobrovsky 3:33 into the game.
Then Bergeron added a goal on the power play, finally giving the Bruins some life on special teams.
However, Boston's man-advantage still had its issues in the first period, specifically when it came to giving up shorthanded opportunities the other way. They allowed a number of breakaways and odd-man rushes while on the power play, with one of them resulting in a penalty shot for Boone Jenner. That try was stopped by Tuukka Rask.
The Blue Jackets got one of those goals back when Artemi Panarin beat Tuukka Rask, but the goal should not have counted due to the puck hitting the netting (out of play) before Panarin scored. However, officials missed it and it's a circumstance that doesn't allow for review, for some reason.
The Bruins sort of seemed off their game following that botched call, but they're lucky enough to be heading into the first intermission still leading by one.
