VIDEO: Bruins Complete Sweep of Hurricanes to Advance to Stanley Cup Final
By Scott Rogust
The Boston Bruins continue to spoil their city. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bruins began their victory effort in the second period thanks to a cross-ice pass from Brad Marchand to David Pastrnak, who knocked the puck behind Carolina goaltender Curtis McElhinney for the 1-0 lead.
Boston would continue their onslaught with a tic-tac-toe power play goal from center Patrice Bergeron.
The Hurricanes couldn't dig themselves out of a hole in the third period.
Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin tried to clear the puck from behind the net. Instead, it bounced off Bergeron's skate. Pastrnak would recover it and pass it to Bergeron, who buried it in front of a wide open net to extend the lead to 3-0.
Carolina would attempt the impossible comeback by pulling McElhinney for the extra skater with five minutes remaining in the game. However, Marchand would halt Carolina's chances by scoring an empty net goal.
Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask was downright dominant this postseason, especially during his 24-save shutout in Game 4. In fact, in series-clinching games this season, Rask was the equivalent of a brick wall in net.
The Bruins have advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2013, where they fell to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Now, they await the winner of the Western Conference Final series between the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues.