‘It’s only a matter of time’

Bruins back up bold statement, send series back to Boston tied 2-2

COLUMBUS — The playoff slogan adopted by the Bruins earlier this week was very similar to the “It’s Time” Blue Jackets had already plastered all over t-shirts, hats, towels, signs and Nationwide Arena.

Theirs was “it’s only a matter of time.”

“He’s definitely going to crack at some point,” defenceman Brandon Carlo had said about Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky after Game 3. “I have a lot of faith we’ll put pucks past him here pretty soon.”

Coach Bruce Cassidy clearly had no issues with the blueliner’s boldness.

“I just think we’re going to score because we have good players that will score eventually,” he stated Thursday morning. “Will it be tonight? I hope so. I hope it’s right away and the guys start feeling good about themselves.”

Hope granted. Led by two goals from Patrice Bergeron, and early one from David Pastrnak and a 39-save performance from Tuukka Rask, the Bruins might have saved their season with a 4-1 victory over the Blue Jackets Thursday night in front of the largest crowd (19,431) to ever witness a game at Nationwide Arena.

The win ties the Eastern Conference semifinal at 2-2, with home ice shifted back to Boston.

Game 5 is Saturday at TD Garden.

“Tuukka was outstanding,” said Cassidy. “I thought he really competed hard to find pucks.”

He was so good, in fact, that he should have had a shutout. The puck that beat him firs went off the protective netting above the glass. The play should have been blown dead before Artemi Panarin put it behind Rask.

The only problem was none of the officials on the ice saw it. Bergeron talked with the refs and was told the call could not be challenged.

“This day and age I think it’s crazy,” Rask said of something like that being missed. “If the refs don’t see why can’t the league call .. they’re watching the game, right? What if that’s in overtime?

“It didn’t cost us but I think it’s funny that they can look at a lot of other kind of goals and call them back from the offices, so why not that.”