Bruins make Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella pay for his game 7 promise (again)

The Boston Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in game 6. They now move on to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2013.

Two down, two to go! The Boston Bruins went to work on Monday night, putting away the Columbus Blue Jackets with their third straight win in the series. Jackets coach John Tortorella will have to wait for next year to play that game 7 he promised at the Garden.

The Bruins won game 6 by a score of 3-0 on goals from David Krecji, Marcus Johansson and David Backes. The three unanswered goals came after Sean Kuraly’s first goal was called back due to another goaltender interference coin flip. While the refs likely got this one right, the consistency is still long from being established at NHL HQ in Toronto. This was the first call on the ice overturned for goaltender interference this post season (but about the 5th that should have been).

On the back of Tuukka Rask, the Bruins have been fantastic in their last three games. In those three games, Rask had two shutouts (though one was stolen from him due to a stupid rule allowing the protective netting to assist on a goal).  In these playoffs, Rask is sporting a 2.02 save percentage and a .938 goals against average. This may be the best Rask we’ve ever seen and it’s certainly the best he’s played since the Bruins were in the Eastern conference Final in 2013.

Game 6 wasn’t without controversy. Fans were outraged when a Charlie McAvoy check went high on Josh Anderson – a play that the media was quick to roast both him and the referees for. The current NHL rule book is geared towards the Department of Player Safety making decisions on such hits, not the referees on the ice. As retired referee Kerry Fraser pointed out on Twitter, there are only two options in this case: A two minute minor or a game ejection (if the hit was deliberate). The DOPS will now rule on whether or not the hit was suspendable.

No one should “defend” the hit or give a “whatabout” response to it, but McAvoy’s intentions were definitely not predatory. Anderson gets tied up with Chara on the play and McAvoy comes across and catches Anderson’s head and body with a booming hit. It’s very unfortunate that the head was the principle point of contact and McAvoy may still get a game suspension for it, but it was not a dirty play nor is Charlie a dirty player. Hockey fans can stop attacking him on social media. Hockey is a very fast game. The two shared a handshake and perhaps a brief apology after the game.

The Bruins now look to those bunch of front-running jerks in Carolina. The series is sure to be a goaltending duel for the ages, with Rask and McElhinney leading all statistical playoff goaltending categories. The Hurricanes won’t be an easy out for Boston as they’ve proven just about every doubter wrong in this magical playoff run. The ‘Canes are legit.

If there’s one advantage the Bruins have in this series, it’s in relation to injuries. The Hurricanes are currently without Trevor Van Riemsdyk (4-6 months), Michael Ferland (day-to-day), Petyr Mrazek (day-to-day) and Saku Maenalanen (unknown). In past seasons, the Bruins have been the team suffering key playoff injuries and those injuries have been critical in their losses over the past few seasons. All anyone has to do is look at the play of Brandon Carlo to prove this.

Carlo was injured in the final game of each of the last two seasons, respectively. Having him in the line up this post season has been arguably the biggest plus for the Bruins. Carlo’s consistency and stingy defense have made him one of the top stories of the NHL playoffs, even if most of the media isn’t talking about him. Carlo is only 22-years-old, which is absolutely ridiculous given his size, strength and where his game is at for such a youngster.

Bruins vs. Hurricanes is going to be a hell of a series. The two teams are similar in that they feature both a good group of young stars being led by experienced veterans who play hard in the post season. The Bruins have 2011 Stanley Cup champions Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask for guidance while the ‘Canes draw guidance from Jordan Stall, Tuevo Teravainen (who won a Cup with the Blackhawks in 2015) and Mr. Game 7 himself, Justin Williams.

The Bruins and Hurricanes now wait for the two Western Conference game 7’s to wrap up before their playoff series begins.