The Boston Bruins are going back to the Stanley Cup Final

The Boston Bruins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 to complete a series sweep. They now await their Stanley Cup Final opponent.

The Boston Bruins swept the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in the last nine seasons. Game 4 was a 4-0 defensive rout of the Hurricanes, with Rask stopping all 24 shots he faced in the game. They’ve now won seven straight games in these NHL playoffs and have looked as good as they ever have in these playoffs.

All four Bruins lines are buzzing at the moment. They are a match up nightmare for any team that isn’t as deep, and there aren’t many teams that are. The Bruins third and fourth lines have been as good as anyone these playoffs, picking up the slack when the top two lines were struggling. Now that the Bruins stars are producing, they look nearly unstoppable.

Rask notched his 7th career playoff shut out, putting him one behind Gary Cheevers for the most in Bruins history. He’s been playing the best hockey of his career in these playoffs. Rask currently has a .942 save percentage and a 1.84 goals against average. Stats aside, he’s never been more calm and composed in net. He’s on top of his game and it’s making things very difficult for opposing teams that manage to break through the Bruins stellar defense.

It’s impossible to talk about the team’s success without touching on the incredible play and leadership of Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron is coming off of one of his best statistical seasons, both offensively and defensively. That momentum has carried over into the playoffs and tonight was a perfect example of that. Bergeron had two goals and an assist in game 4, getting him to 100 total career playoff points.

Boston’s top line did the heavy lifting in game 4. Marchand and Pastrnak added to Bergeron’s two goals in the 4-0 win. The B’s will now get some much deserved rest as they await the winner of the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final.

Bruins fans are particularly excited about this team. They have a perfect mix of veteran leadership, including the core group of players who won the Cup in 2011, and a very solid crew of young future stars that will only get better from this experience. The Bruins have everything they need to keep this run going. A little bit of time to relax before competing for the Cup is only going to make them better.

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on making it to the Final! Now let’s get that Stanley Cup!