The Boston Bruins earned a 3-0 stranglehold on the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins after a dramatic 2-1 victory in Game 3.
The Boston Bruins continued their strong play in this series and wound up scoring the game's opening goal just 1:42 into the match. David Krejci tallied his postseason-leading ninth goal; Milan Lucic recorded his 10th assist of the playoffs. The Penguins responded with an aggressive first period and the two sides wound up tied in shots 10-10 after the opening 20 minutes.
The second period belonged to the visitors. Pittsburgh not only outshot Boston 15-10, but also managed to draw even at the 8:51 mark. Chris Kunitz scored his fifth goal of the playoffs; Pascal Dupuis and Paul Martin assisted on the goal.
The two sides contested an evenly fought third period and Boston goaltender Tuuka Rask made a number of terrific saves to quell a Penguins surge. He stopped Letang twice during a four-on-four, including a save on a wrap-a-round and another on a blast right in front of the net. The Penguins also managed to hit the post a number of times. Sidney Crosby hit the iron on a blind backhand toward a vacant goal. In the final five minutes, Evgeni Malkin hit the post on a blast from the slot. Neither side scored and the game wound up heading to overtime.
Malkin had a huge chance just over a minute into the extra session. After the play, tempers flared and Lucic put Penguins forward Matt Cooke into a headlock. The two were awarded penalties. Bruins winger Nathan Horton earned a partial breakaway minutes later, but Penguins goalie Thomas Vokoun made the stop to preserve the tie. The teams traded a number of opportunities throughout the overtime but neither capitalized. The shots favored Pittsburgh 45-33 after 80 minutes of play.
The two sides traded chances in the second overtime, but Patrice Bergeron wound up scoring the winner late in the second overtime after Jaromir Jagr stole the puck away from Evgeni Malkin.
The Penguins will now attempt to be the fourth team in NHL history to comeback from a 3-0 series deficit. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs overcame the Detroit Red Wings while the 1975 New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins after losing the first three games. The Bruins blew a 3-0 lead against the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers.
Watch Video Highlights HERE. (Click Blue Icons In Box Score To View Goals).
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