Patrice Bergeron scores the winning goal, Tuukka Rask saves the game
The Boston Bruins came away from double overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night with a victory that could very well lead them to the Stanley Cup.
David Krejci scored the first goal for the Boston Bruins less than two minutes in, and the Pittsburgh Penguins tied it during the second period. The score stayed dormant until the second period of overtime, when the Bruins center, Patrice Bergeron, made the game-winning goal with 4:41 remaining in the second overtime.
The hero of the game was Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who made 53 saves and kept the Penguins at bay long enough for Bergeron to go for the win.
“He’s really giving us the saves we need, and the energy and the momentum that we need in order to do the job in front of him,” said Bergeron of his team’s goalie.
“At five periods, everyone is tired,” Rask said. “But it’s more of a mental challenge.” The team obviously accepted the challenge and came out on top. The Bruins are now up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and if they win just one more game in the series they will knock Pittsburgh out of the finals.
Despite the fact that the Penguins are the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins have fought hard this series, and their 3-0 lead proves that even the almighty Penguins can be stopped. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, this is the first time this season that the Penguins have lost three consecutive games. However, hope is not lost for the first-seed team. Recall the 3-1 deficit that the Chicago Blackhawks came out of just a few short weeks ago. Also recall the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, when the Boston Bruins gave up a 3-0 series lead to Philadelphia. The series is not a runaway for Boston, and they need to continue to bring all they’ve got to the ice if they want to sweep away with a victory.
The winner of this series will be facing either the Chicago Blackhawks or the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks are currently up 2-1 in their series, and Thursday night’s game could be a turning point for the Western Conference finals.
Game 4 between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins is scheduled for Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m. EDT. In the meantime, catch the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, June 6 at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
