BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 20: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins skates against New Jersey Devils during the third period at TD Garden on October 20, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Devils 2-1. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Boston sports fans are no stranger to the conference finals. Since 2001, they’ve seen their teams go deep into the postseason 28 times.
And while fans of the Boston Celtics may be in fear that their team won’t repeat their playoff success of 2018, Boston Bruins fans are rejoicing following a 3-0 Game 6 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.
While it took some excellent play-making to push them over the top against their opponents, that’s not to discredit some excellent goalie play. Tuukka Rask came up big for the Bruins. Though the Blue Jackets pushed hard each play and hoped to stay alive, Rask shut them down on 10 power plays in the final three games of the series. All three were won by Boston. And on Monday night alone, Rask shut down four power plays and finished with 39 saves. With this game, Rask became only the third goalie in Boston history to have multiple series-clinching shutouts.
“If you’re playing this time of year, you’re doing something right,” Rask said. “You’ve built something great as a team. We’re super happy that we’re in the position. Trying to keep the train rolling.”
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After the game, Bruins GM Don Sweeney recapped the team’s second victory, saying it was “Terrific…we played a really tough opponent. Proud of our group.”
Forward David Backes said, “We are halfway to our goal. You need to relish the plateaus along the way. We are certainly at one of those to be among the final four teams. We’ve had to sacrifice to win some games against some really good teams.”
Boston will now take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Carolina swept the New York Islanders after beating the Washington Capitals in seven games.
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