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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 09: (L-R) Brandon Carlo #25, Zdeno Chara #33 and David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins celebrate after a third period goal by Charlie Coyle #13 (not pictured) against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 09, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Final: Bruins top Hurricanes 5-2 to take Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals

Author Matt Dolloff

By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com

It’s gone final in Boston. The Bruins have taken a 1-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals after a 5-2 win at TD Garden.

The Bruins have finally made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, absent from the NHL’s final four over the past six seasons. They take on the sizzling Carolina Hurricanes, who upset the Washington Capitals in a Game 7 win in the first round then swept the New York Islanders to escape the Metropolitan Division’s best competition.

Here’s some pregame reading to get you started:

— Bruins-Hurricanes series preview: X-factors, matchups, and how this series will be won

— The deep, versatile Hurricanes shouldn’t be overlooked. Here’s how they plan to match up against the Bruins.

If you’re here, you might as well click the button above to listen live to the local call of the game from Judd Sirott and Bob Beers. We’ve got you covered all night. I’m sure you know you need to buckle up. Playoff hockey only gets more intense as it goes along.

Live Updates: Third Period

— 2:38: Bruins have shown some tenacious backchecking as the Canes have pressed in the past 9-10 minutes. Marcus Johansson made an outstanding clear on a squirrelly-looking opportunity for Carolina.

— 14:31: Yet another power play for the Bruins. Dougie Hamilton whistled for interference against David Backes.

— 17:06: Off another power play, Patrice Bergeron hammers it home unassisted to make it 3-2 Bruins.

— 17:34: Marcus Johansson ties it back up on the power play. He’s rewarded for the great overall game he’s had so far, tapping home the rebound in front of Petr Mrzaek. The Bruins crowd has awoken.

— 19:11 Jordan Staal whistled for boarding against the Bruins’ Chris Wagner. Easy call for the officials. Bruins get another power play.

Live Updates: Second Period

— Second Period Thoughts: The Hurricanes’ speed and forechecking took over that period. Besides a handful of chances for the Bergeron line and sporadic opportunities elsewhere, the Bruins have struggled to get much going on offense thanks to the tenacity of the Canes’ skaters. Felt like they had little room to operate, even on the power play. Carolina’s ability to limit space is legit. … The Bruins are definitely missing Charlie McAvoy’s puck movement and backchecking against these forwards. Not that it would be any of a surprise for McAvoy’s absence to hurt them. But perhaps it’s going to be more of a detriment than we realized for an otherwise resilient Bruins team.

— 3:05: Bruins back to the power play. Hurricanes’ Micheal Ferland whistled for interference against David Krejci.

— 4:30: Strong shift for the Bergeron line, generating at least one high-danger scoring chance and a couple of other opportunities. It fizzled out after an atrocious giveaway by Brad Marchand, but the B’s have had their chances to make something happen.

— 5:45: The Hurricanes’ forechecking continues to be an issue for the Bruins. Clearing out of their zone has been a struggle this period. They haven’t lacked opportunities on offense, though.

— 10:42: Hurricanes take a 2-1 lead after Greg McKegg crashes the net. Literally, he crashed right into Tuukka Rask as the puck went in, but it appeared that it crossed the goal line before both the contact and the net coming off its pegs. So it’s a good goal and the Bruins now have to play from behind. Carolina is out-shooting them 21-13.

— 14:04: Big-time saves by Tuukka Rask on this power play so far. He made an outstanding side-to-side stop on a Teuvo Teravainen one-timer attempt, then stuffed Michael Ferland point-blank.

— 15:52: Sean Kuraly penalized again, this time for high sticking against Calvin de Haan. Bruins back to the kill.

— 16:33: Another early chance for the Bergeron line. Bergeron almost sped around the Carolina D to beat Mrazek in close, but the goalie was there to stuff him. Marchand had an opportunity, but overdid his deking and turned it over to Teravainen.

Live Updates: First Period

— First Period Thoughts: The Bruins got off to a hot start before the Hurricanes got their feet under them after a quick answer goal by Sebastian Aho. The speedy center is going to be an issue all series. Aho may have the best combination of speed and skill out of any player in the series. … Zdeno Chara took a shot off his foot area, and appeared to be in a lot of pain. He eventually headed for the Bruins’ dressing room. Unless his foot is straight-up broken, I’d expect him back in for the second. … The Bergeron line started against the Hurricanes’ third line and dominated play early, but have yet to cash in. The Canes defense tends to get sloppy with the puck in their own end sometimes, and the B’s have been able to take advantage of it for scoring chances. … Marcus Johansson was one of the best players on the ice. He showed great patience and body control to hold on to the puck long enough to wait for Steven Kampfer to get open in the high slot, then found him with a dynamic pass. He’s been active out there.

— 0:23: Zdeno Chara had to go to the Bruins locker room after taking a puck off his skate. Bad news for an already beleaguered Bruins defensive corps.

— 3:05: Bruins to the power play. Brad Marchand draws a slash from Nino Niederreiter.

— 5:23: Bruins successfully kill off a questionable hooking penalty on Charlie Coyle.

— 16:18: Just 47 seconds later, Sebastian Aho makes it 1-1. The ‘Canes got a power play on a questionable non-matching penalty against the Bruins’ Sean Kuraly. Andrei Svechnikov simply fired it toward the front of the net and Aho tipped it home. That dynamic pairing will need to dominate for the Hurricanes to outlast the Bruins in the series, and they’re certainly off to a good start.

— 17:05: Marcus Johansson waits for Steven Kampfer to streak into the high slot area, then feeds the defenseman for a snipe past Petr Mrzaek to make it 1-0 Bruins. Outstanding setup by Johansson and a big-time contribution from the guy who replaces the suspended Charlie McAvoy.

— 18:06: The Bergeron line started against the line of Warren Foegele-Lucas Wallmark-Brock McGinn. It didn’t go well for Carolina. Quick 2-on-1 for Bergeron followed by some good zone time and forechecking.

Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.

Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.

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