The Boston Bruins looked like a team on a mission Monday night in their Game 4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
And no play meant that mentality refused to lose more than Charlie McAvoy’s bone-chilling hit on Canes captain Jordan Staal with the B behind trailing 2-1 in the third period.
McAvoy absolutely destroyed Steel with a clean, open-ice check that sent the 31-year-old forward back to the locker room for the rest of the game.
The Bruins, who had built significant momentum when Jake DeBrusk’s working goal cut their deficit in half, tied the score at 2-2 just 17 seconds later. And Boston’s goal was not far behind.
“You need to be able to create your own energy on the bench and go into that third period, and apparently you two are down and the game had not really been in our favor,” McAvoy told reporters during a postgame video conference. ‘We had some opportunities and things, but we were looking for some energy and that was kind of the message – that we were not out there.
‘It was an opportunity to perform and make a hit, trying to separate a man from the puck. We’re playing well already. And just to get so many guys up tonight and make great plays when it really mattered to get us a win was just so amazing to watch. It really lifts the spirit of the team. ”
Connor Clifton scored the equalizer midway through the final period. Brad Marchand then broke the 2-2 tie before DeBrusk’s second tally gave the Bruins a two-goal kiss en route to a possible 4-3 win.
The Bruins played with tremendous energy in the third period, suggesting that perhaps some head coach Bruce Cassidy said that during the second intermission the club might have sparked. But McAvoy’s massive blow undoubtedly overshadowed Boston’s attempt.
So, what went through the 22-year-old’s head when he delivered the heat-exchanging hit?
‘I started skating backwards, trying to take some kind of angle in there. You want to make sure all your stuff is in so you do not deliver a dirty hit. You’re never hoping to hurt anyone, “McAvoy said.” Just to take a man’s puck and I hope he does well. All I can think about is trying to separate a man from the puck and try to take possession of us like that “Get back as soon as possible so we can play offensive and tie the game. That was really my only thought process. The game is moving so fast and I just wanted to provide a clean check and just do my job.”
McAvoy certainly did his job. And so did the Bruins collectively, as they will now enter Game 5 in the Toronto bubble on Wednesday with a 3-1 series lead.
