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"In the midst of movement and chaos, stay still in yourself." – Deepak Chopra
Chaos reigned in the first period of the fourth game of the second round of the Bruins East Conference in Columbus on Thursday.
There were 42 combined shooting attempts by both teams, and it was far from the craziest thing that happened. David Pastrnak, whose only goal in the series had failed in his first game, finally scored a goal.
The Bruins scored in one of the three powers of the stanza to take a 2-0 lead, but are still outmatched by Columbus center, Boone Jenner, who has just lost 4-3.
One of Jenner's three shorthanded throws is a penalty shot that was awarded when his breakaway was cut short by Brad Marchand's dive trip.
And then the ultimate act of chaos happened just before the mark of 8:46. Pierre-Luc Dubois let Boston goalkeeper Tuukka Rask's goal slip through the net. None of the four officials saw the puck touch the mesh while all the players were looking for the puck. After landing, Oliver Bjorkstrand was the first to find him and placed Artemi Panarin for a goal that obviously should not have been counted.
But there is no replay examination on such a game if the puck does not immediately enter the goal. So it was a good goal, and the Bruins led 2-1.
The chaos seemed to be the 19th skater of the Blue Jackets. But the Bruins, led by a kernel that won the Stanley Cup eight years ago, and the return of a 35-year-old veteran still looking for his first title, have regained the silence that was in them and calmed Columbus 4-1 tied. the best of the 2-2 series.
The fifth game will take place Saturday night at TD Garden.
In what appeared to be a tornado more than a hockey game, the Bruins relied on the experience and leadership of their top players, as well as their coach, to ensure that they would not be pushed into the game. threshold of elimination.
There was more chaos than what happened in the first 8:46 of the first period. Jenner finished with four of Columbus 'six shorthanded shots, while the Blue Jackets continued to tip the scales for the Bruins' power play. first power play unit, then ensured that two defenders were on the ice at all times for the last advantage. Boston even finished 2 in 6 on the power play
Pastrnak continued to wield the puck as he tried to pick up a meatball with a piece of spaghetti. The Blue Jackets allowed some of her blunders to score goals that were often stopped by calm and collected Tuukka Rask, who finished with 39 saves. Sometimes he got help from the defenders, stopping games just inside the blue line or backing up, raising the sticks of the Blue Jackets, but do not get me wrong, c & rsquo; Is the type of game that should (but does not want to) close the opponents who claim that Rask isn & # 39; Not enough elite to get the Bruins where they want to go.
Dean Kukan's David Backes' face was nudged to a minor penalty at the end of the first period. Backes, back in training for the first time since the fifth game of the first series against Toronto, came back after a brief stay in the locker room. He finished with one help and five hits and, as usual, a vocal presence on the bench.
Dubois and Patrice Bergeron, who scored two goals, traded massive shots just seconds apart at both ends of the ice. Sean Kuraly scored another playoff goal (his sixth in 23 games) and then jumped into the glass (although Columbus is his hometown), and said he saw Bruin fans in the area he jumped ).
There were 133 firing attempts before the final horn.
But nothing was more crazy than the goal of Panarin, a break that could easily have given full momentum in favor of the Blue Jackets. A record crowd of 19,431 at the Nationwide Arena suddenly had something positive to cheer for, instead of making fun of Marchand. The Blue Jackets even had the next power play – I'm sorry, the Bruins had the power, but the Blue Jackets had the offensive opportunities.
The Bruins had to hang on to stay expensive in the second half of the first period, but they managed to score a 2-1 advantage thanks to that 2-1 lead, largely because of the fact that the Bruins had a 2-1 advantage. they did not panic and did not let the call sounded.
"With things that are revisable these days, it should be an automatic call. But no matter, you play through, "Marchand said. "You know it's hockey, I mean it's happening. Many missed calls are part of the game. "
There is no need to try to imagine that Merchant conveys this message to his younger and less experienced teammates: "Play it."
There is no doubt that Bergeron, Backes, David Krejci and Zdeno Chara had the same message. They have already experienced all this in the playoffs – on the winners side and on the losing side in the final, extra games, major injuries, canceled calls. Victories in hostile environments like Montreal, Vancouver and Chicago. So, whether it's the chaos of the first period or the madness of the next two periods, the best players in the Bruins have kept the team at the forefront while playing their best hockey.
Teams with less character, one with less courage would bow to such adversity. Not these drizzles.
They could easily not win another match in this series, or they could play until mid-June and provoke a parade. If they fail, it's not because they do not know how to handle the chaos. They proved it again in the fourth match.
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Related: The Blue Jackets score an incredibly stupid goal with an incredibly stupid rule
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