Boston 3, Carolina 1
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, August 15, 2020
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Referees:
Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Shandor Alphonso, Greg Devorski
Attendance:
0
By Field Level Media
Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves in a surprise appearance, while Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand each had a goal and an assist as the Boston Bruins overcame a roster change to win 3-1 in Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Sean Kuraly supplied Boston's other goal as the Bruins took a 2-1 series lead. David Krejci posted two assists.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask opted out of the rest of the playoffs because of personal reasons in an announcement that came about 90 minutes prior to the start of the game.
Halak had played in only the opener of the first five games for Boston since the season resumed earlier this month.
Carolina's Nino Niederreiter scored with 13:30 to play in regulation when Halak's turnover from behind the net resulted in an uncontested shot into the empty net, narrowing the margin to 2-1. Niederreiter was in the lineup after he was scratched in Thursday night's Game 2.
Goalie Petr Mrazek, back in action after also sitting out Game 2, made 36 stops for the Hurricanes.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night.
Coyle's goal came on a power play just 14 seconds into the second period, as part of a continuation of a man advantage for a double-minor late in the first period. Coyle batted the puck in midair off a rebound from Marchand's shot.
Then in a short-handed situation 76 seconds into the third period, Coyle set up Kuraly's goal with a patient sequence. Kuraly tipped in the delivery from Coyle.
Marchand's empty-net goal with 30.9 seconds left sealed the outcome.
Boston also was without right winger David Pastrnak, who missed his second game in a row with an undisclosed ailment. He co-led the NHL with 48 regular-season goals.
The Hurricanes tested Halak with 15 first-period shots. The Bruins excelled for much of the second period, producing a 20-8 edge in shots during that stretch.
There was a delay with 4:38 to play when referee Kevin Pollock was struck in the face by a puck and was replaced by a standby official.
Rask's statement said, in part, that "at this moment there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family."
Rask's career record in the NHL is 291-158-64 with 50 shutouts. He holds a 51-42 all-time playoff record.
Rask had been the goalie in the Bruins' first two games of Carolina series. He played in the last four of Boston's games since the restart earlier this month, sitting out only the first game since the season resumed.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Boston |
|
Carolina |
|
Charlie Coyle 2 |
Points |
Nino Niederreiter 1 |
|
Charlie Coyle 1 |
Goals |
Nino Niederreiter 1 |
|
David Krejci 2 |
Assists |
Nino Niederreiter 0 |
|
Charlie Coyle 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Nino Niederreiter 1 |
|
Sean Kuraly 1 |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Jaroslav Halak .967 |
Save Percentage |
Petr Mrazek .947 |
|
Jaroslav Halak 29 |
Saves |
Petr Mrazek 36 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Boston
|
39 |
3 |
1-5 |
4-5 |
10 |
33 |
| Carolina
|
30 |
1 |
1-5 |
4-5 |
10 |
25 |
Upcoming Games
-
Carolina will play their next game at home against Boston. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .568 after a win and .548 after a loss.
-
Boston will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Bruins have a W/L % of .727 after a win and .462 after a loss.
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