David Pastrnak didn’t score any goals in his return to the lineup but he had two assists Wednesday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto to help the Bruins beat the Hurricanes, 2-1, and win their best-of-7, first-round series in Game 5.
Patrice Bergeron, Pastrnak’s even-strength and power-play linemate, scored the winning goal in the dying seconds of the second period, and added an assist. David Krejci also had a goal and assist for the Bruins, who scored both of their goals on power plays in the final 4:40 of the second period.
The Bruins, seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference entering Round 1, joined the No. 2 Lightning with tickets to Round 2. Their second-round opponent will be determined at the conclusion of the Flyers-Canadiens and Capitals-Islanders series.
Jaroslav Halak (23 saves) played and won his third straight game since No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask left the Eastern Conference bubble in Toronto to be with his family.
Pastrnak, the NHL coleader with 48 regular-season goals, hadn’t played because of an undisclosed injury since Game 1 Aug. 12, a 4-3, double-overtime win that he keyed with a goal and the primary assist on Bergeron’s winner. Pastrnak moved back to his customary right wing position on a line with Bergeron and left wing Brad Marchand.
Pastrnak’s return didn’t give the B’s much juice early — although he did have the Bruins’ best scoring chance of the first period. A Hurricanes turnover with 7:50 remaining left Pastrnak alone with the puck in front of Petr Mrazek (25 saves), but after a couple of fakes, Pastrnak couldn’t lift his shot over the goalie’s glove at the near post.
That missed opportunity came a little less than three minutes after the Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead on defenseman Haydn Fleury’s second goal of the series. With Jordan Martinook standing just off the crease, Fleury launched a rising wrist shot from the top of the right circle that hit the far post behind Halak, and ricocheted just beneath the crossbar.
The goal came from the Hurricanes’ undermanned first line, which played for the second straight game without postseason goal-scoring leader Andrei Svechnikov. Martinook again replaced Svechnikov, who sustained a right leg injury late in Game 3, on a line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.
It was the sixth time in eight games inside the Eastern Conference bubble that the Bruins fell behind, 1-0.
Pastrnak missed another chance to tie the game four minutes into the second period, once he had served a hooking penalty. Seconds after the B’s survived several late Hurricanes power-play opportunities, Charlie McAvoy hit Pastrnak with a breakaway pass as the winger exited the penalty box, but Mrazek denied Pastrnak after a backhand-to-forehand move.
Consecutive power-play goals put the B’s ahead late in the second, and Pastrnak had assists on both.
The first helper wasn’t quite intentional. Bergeron, who was hooked by Aho on a breakaway to give the Bruins their first manpower advantage of the game, took a shot from the right circle that hit Pastrnak just outside the crease and caromed directly to Krejci, who scored his third goal and seventh point of the series with 4:40 remaining.
Martinook’s high hit (roughing) on Andrei Kase gave the B’s another power play inside the final minute, and Bergeron gave the B’s a 2-1 lead 3.5 seconds before intermission.
After making a pass from his knees to Pastrnak in the left circle, Bergeron got up to retrieve the rebound of the Pastrnak shot that Mrazek had stopped with his blocker. Bergeron whipped the puck into the crease from behind the end line and it went in off Mrazek’s skate.