David Pastrnak on Saturday scored the game winner with 88 seconds left in a wild third period to lift the Boston Bruins to a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 5 of their NHL second-round playoff series.
Pastrnak, who struggled offensively early in the series, redirected a pass from Brad Marchand to just inside the post and out of the reach of Blue Jackets star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was the second goal of the period for the Czech forward and it capped a burst of five goals in an eight minute span by both teams.
David Krejci and Marchand also scored for Boston, while goalie Tuukka Rask made 33 saves.
Rask’s best stop was a clutch leg pad block of a Cam Atkinson shot with 14 seconds left in regulation. Columbus had other chances to tie it, but failed, as Matt Duchene rang a shot off the post late in the third as well.
The Bruins now have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series with Game 6 set for today in Columbus, Ohio. The winner of the series is to face the Carolina Hurricanes for the conference title.
Seth Jones, Ryan Dzingel and Dean Kukan scored for Columbus, while goalie Bobrovsky stopped 32 of 36 shots.
Jones scored a controversial goal at 10:33, but ultimately a video review determined that it was a good goal. Jones’ shot from the right corner went off the stick of defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and lodged between Rask’s pads and the left post. The play was initially ruled no goal, but a review reversed the call on the ice.
The Bruins regained their two-goal edge at 11:16, as Pastrnak put a slap shot inside the left post on a four-on-one break. Dzingel beat Rask from a sharp angle at 12:07 and Kukan tied the score at 13:58, beating Rask with a slap-shot from the top of the face-off circles.
Sharks VS Avalanche
AP, SAN JOSE, California
Tomas Hertl on Saturday scored his second goal of the game at six minutes, 26 seconds of the third period, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series.
Hertl tied the game with a power-play goal in the final minute of the second period and then delivered the go-ahead score early in the third period for his first two goals of the series, after recording six in the first-round series.
Goalie Martin Jones made 21 saves as San Jose held Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon to one shot on goal and ended his scoring streak at eight games.
The Sharks will look to clinch the series in Game 6 today in Colorado.
Tyson Jost scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, who were on their heels for most of the night. Goalie Philipp Grubauer made 37 saves.
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