Ryan scores winner as Senators blank Bruins, take 3-1 series lead
BOSTON — Bobby Ryan played the hero again, scoring the winner at 5:49 of the third period as the Ottawa Senators beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 on Wednesday night to grab a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference quarter-final series.
After scoring the winner 5:43 into overtime on Monday to seal the Senators’ 4-3 win in Game 3, Ryan poked the puck past a diving Tuukka Rask after Erik Karlsson set him up on an intentionally wide slap shot just inside the blue line.
It was Ryan’s team-leading third goal of the series. Karlsson picked up his 20th career playoff assist, tying Martin Havlat for the sixth-most in franchise history.
Craig Anderson made 22 saves in his fourth career playoff shutout for the Sens. Rask stopped 26 shots for the Bruins.
Ottawa won its fifth straight game in Boston and improved to 7-1 versus the Bruins this season. Boston hasn’t won a home playoff game since May 10, 2014.
The Senators can clinch the series at home Friday in Game 5.
Ottawa stifled Boston in the first period for the fourth straight game, but couldn’t score itself despite taking 14 shots. It’s the third time this series that neither team has scored in the opening frame.
Charlie McAvoy appeared to score his first NHL goal after his blue line slapper beat Anderson at 10:49 of the second, but a Senators’ challenge reversed the ruling as centre Noel Acciari was offsides.
Anderson preserved the shutout to keep the sellout crowd of 17,565 at TD Garden quiet through the second period buzzer. It was an improvement after Boston had scored three second-period goals in consecutive games.
Sens left-winger Tom Pyatt left in the first and didn’t return after suffering an upperbody injury on a hit by Bruins defenceman Kevan Miller at 2:48 of the period.
After getting centre David Krejci back from an upper-body injury in Game 3, the Bruins were bolstered by the return of defenceman Colin Miller. Miller missed Games 2 and 3 after suffering a lower-body injury in the series opener.