Bruins force Game 7
Brad Marchand scored one goal and assisted on another, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots to lead the Bruins past the Hurricanes 5-2 on Thursday night in Boston and send their first-round playoff series to a decisive seventh game.
The home team has won all six games in the series — an edge for Carolina, which will host Game 7 on Saturday. The winner will play either the Penguins or Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals; Pittsburgh leads that series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Friday night.
Two days after losing 5-1 at Carolina — their third blowout loss on the road — the Bruins returned to the TD Garden for what could be the last home game for future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins’ captain has declined to talk about his future during the season.
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Antti Raanta made 29 saves for the Hurricanes, who have won three games by a combined score of 15-4 and lost three by a total of 14-6.
Charlie Coyle also scored for Boston, and Erik Haula and Derek Forbort added thirdperiod goals before Curtis Lazar backhanded the puck into the empty net with 4:17 to play.
Marchand broke a scoreless tie 46 seconds into the second period, taking a long cross-ice pass from Connor Clifton and skating to the right circle before wristing it over Raanta’s glove.
Coyle gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the last two minutes of the period, poking in the trickling rebound of David Pastrnak’s one-timer. Svechnikov made it a one-goal game early in the third before Haula and Forbort gave Boston back its cushion.
Svechnikov’s second goal came with 2:30 left during a power play for a double minor to Marchand for spearing.
MVP finalists: Toronto center Auston Matthews, Edmonton center Connor McDavid and Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin are the finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s Most Valuable Player award.
Matthews, who earned this season’s Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal-scorer, had career highs with 60 goals and 46 assists.
McDavid, who earned the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer this season, also established career highs with 44 goals and 79 assists.
Shesterkin, who this week was selected as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, as the NHL’s best goaltender, had a 2.07 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and six shutouts.