semifinals, and that’s OK with the Boston Bruins.
“That’s our style and we like playing physical. If it stays like that, it will be good,” Bruins forward Marc Savard said after Boston beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 in Game 5 to avoid elimination in the best-of-seven series. “It seems to get the best out of us, so hopefully we can continue to roll like this.”
After watching Carolina goalie Cam Ward dominate three straight games, Tim Thomas stopped 19 shots for his first NHL playoff shutout. Phil Kessel scored twice, Milan Lucic had a goal and an assist, and Zdeno Chara and Savard each had a pair of assists for Boston.
“Timmy deserved the kind of night he had tonight,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “He’s been peppered with a lot of shots in the games before that. Maybe his teammates felt they owed it to him, to give him an easier night. They did a great job in front of him.”
Chara also gave Boston a big emotional lift when he came back from a second-period slashing by Jussi Jokinen.
“It was the only option we had, being down 3-1 and at home in front of our fans,” Chara said. “But we are in the same situation and are fighting for another day.”
Ward made 36 saves for the Hurricanes, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game 6 is at Carolina on Tuesday.
goals in the previous three games but just three shots and a minus-3 in Game 5. “We need to regroup and forget it.”
Thomas had a career-high five shutouts in the regular season, when he led the NHL with a 2.10 goals-against average and became a Vezina Trophy finalist. But it had been Ward who dominated the series, allowing three goals as the Hurricanes responded to a Game 1 loss with three straight victories.
Chara took a stick to the left shin from Jokinen in the final minute of the second period. After laying on the ice for a few minutes, he skated off on his own but didn’t return for the start of the third.
“My heart skipped a beat when he was down because I know he doesn’t fake things – ever,” Thomas said.
When Chara came onto the bench shortly after the faceoff, the crowd began chanting “Cha-ra!” And when he slipped over the dasher boards with 19:12 to play, the fans stood.
“We all have to make sacrifices. It’s nothing unusual,” Chara said.
An Original Six team that has not won the Stanley Cup since Bobby Orr skated around the ice with it in 1972, the Bruins entered the playoffs with the best record in the East and swept Montreal in the first round. But they have struggled against Carolina, a team they beat in all four regular-season meetings, losing three times by a combined score of 10-3.
Red Wings 4, Ducks 1
m and Henrik Zetterberg scored, helping the Red Wings take 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Ryan Whitney scored late in the second period and Jonas Hiller stopped 34 shots, giving the Ducks a chance until Helm made it 3-1 with 3:08 left. Zetterberg added an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Chris Osgood finished with 16 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Franzen had his seventh goal of the postseason and scored for the 20th time in 25 playoff games since the start of last year’s title run. He has six goals in six games.
Game 6 is Tuesday night at Anaheim.
Add A Comment