Here are Joe Haggerty's Talking Points from a wild 4-3 Game 5 win for the Bruins, who will try to close out the series in Columbus on Monday.
GOLD STAR: An amazing third period finally gives way to a 4-3 win for the Boston Bruins as David Pastrnak scored his second goal of the game, and the game-winner, when he redirected a Brad Marchand cross-ice pass past Sergei Bobrovsky. Pastrnak finished with two goals, a plus-3 rating, seven shots on net and 9 shot attempts in 17 plus minutes of ice time. He also had a couple of great goal celebrations with his hands to his ears Hulk Hogan style in the second period, and then he dropped to a knee and glided across the ice for the second one. Pastrnak has looked out-of-sync and injured through most of these playoffs, but he’s now got three goals in the last two games and has come alive offensively. It couldn’t have come at a better time in a highly entertaining Game 5 win for the Bruins, and at a better time for Pastrnak when the B’s really need his scoring.
BLACK EYE: It’s literally Charlie McAvoy for taking one for the team and blocking a shot with his right foot in the closing seconds of the third period with the Bruins protecting a one-goal lead. The Blue Jackets got the one final bid at the Boston net after Brad Marchand turned a puck over in the defensive zone, and it was up to McAvoy to step up and kick his right leg out while looking for any way to block the puck. It certainly must have stung and he had a red welt on the side of his foot after the game was over, but he was walking around in bare feet while talking to the media after it was all over. So it would appear that McAvoy dodged a bullet while stepping in front of a rocketed shot to win a game.
TURNING POINT: Brandon Carlo made a great play busting up an Artemi Panarin move toward the Boston net, and then kick-started a transition play with Brad Marchand feeding cross-ice to David Pastrnak for the game-winning goal. It was a massive third-period play after Columbus had come all the way back to tie the game 3-3 in the third period, and it looked like maybe things were headed to overtime. Instead Pastrnak scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes to play in the final period and the Bruins pushed to a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series with a chance to end it early in a move that would do nothing but really help a tired B’s team.
HONORABLE MENTION: Tuukka Rask was phenomenal earlier in the game when he outplayed Sergei Bobrovsky through the first 40 minutes, and then he was as good as he had to be in a crazy third period where the B’s held on for dear life. Both goalies left a few get past them in the crazy third period with everything on the line, but Rask held strong at the end even as Columbus players were still getting pretty good looks at him while Zdeno Chara really struggled in the defensive zone. In all Rask finished with 33 saves in the victory for the Bruins, and he continues to be just a little bit better than Bobrovsky in a real showcase for excellent goaltending.
BY THE NUMBERS: 1 – Brandon Carlo and Connor Clifton both picked up their first career playoff points with assists on B’s goals, including Carlo getting the secondary helper on the game-winner with a big play turning defense into offense.
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QUOTE TO NOTE: "Things happen for a reason and I truly believe that. We’ll be back here for Game 7.” –John Tortorella, who was guaranteeing a Game 7 and a return to Boston in his post-Game 5 press conference at TD Garden.
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