Bruins rally to take 3-1 series lead

TORONTO -- Connor Clifton, a spectator for the first two games of the series, keyed a third-period comeback with a goal and an assist that included two goals, including the game-winner, from Jake DeBrusk, as the Bruins scored a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Bruins, now ahead 3-1 in this best-of-seven first-round series, can win it in Game 5 at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Game 6, if necessary, will be played on Thursday.

DeBrusk, who’d scored only one goal in the six previous games, scored the first and last goals of a four-goal outburst. The first cut the Hurricanes’ lead to 2-1 at 7:26; the last one gave the Bruins a two-goal cushion at 14:17. It became the winner when Teuvo Teravainen scored for the Hurricanes with 1:27 left in regulation.

Clifton, who had an assist on DeBrusk’s first goal, tied it at 10:10, when he cranked Joakim Nordstrom’s pass over James Reimer’s right shoulder from the right circle. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, whose team didn’t have a third-period shot at that point (they finished with only two), used his timeout after Clifton’s goal to try to settle his team down, but Marchand gave the Bruins the lead just 1:30 later. DeBrusk expanded the lead less than three minutes after that.

Jaroslav Halak, who made 29 saves in Saturday’s 3-1 victory hours after No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask left the team to be with his family, didn’t replicate that performance, but got his second straight win. Halak (17 saves) surrendered goals to Justin Williams and Jordan Martinook on stoppable shots,

The teams played a first period that made it look like what it was -- a game between two teams missing a top offensive player. The Bruins played for the third straight game without winger David Pastrnak, the NHL co-leader with 48 regular-season goals and 95 points, while the Hurricanes were without first-line winger Andrei Svechnikov, who had seven points (team-high four goals) through six games. Svechnikov got hurt at the end of Game 3, when he fell awkwardly during a net-front tangle with Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.

The teams managed only 13 shots over the first 20 minutes. The Bruins led with seven, but four came during a power play that began with the second shift of the game. The Hurricanes got only six shots through to Halak, but had the only goal.

Justin Williams, the Hurricanes’ 38-year-old veteran winger, made it 1-0 at 9:17, with a seemingly harmless wrist shot from above the left circle that Halak missed with his catching glove.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who gave Anders Bjork a third straight game in Pastrnak’s place on the top line with Marchand and Patrice Bergeron despite Bjork taking three minor penalties in Game 3, pulled the plug after one period on Monday. No. 3 center Charlie Coyle moved to right wing with Marchand and Bergeron; Bjork moved back to the third line.

The second period went on to mirror the first: The Bruins peppered Reimer during a power play but didn’t score, and the Hurricanes scored on a shot that beat Halak to the glove side.

Jordan Martinook, whom Brind’Amour chose to replace Svechnikov on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, made it 2-0 with 7:52 left in the second. Less than a minute after Aho finished serving a hooking penalty, the Bruins turned the puck over in the offensive zone and weren’t in position to cut off Aho’s long pass to Martinook. Martinook shot as soon as he reached the left circle, and found room inside the far post.