National Hockey League
Boston 3, Columbus 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 25, 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Francis Charron, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen: Ryan Gibbons, Jonny Murray
Attendance: 17565

Charlie Coyle scored late in regulation and again 5:15 into overtime as the Boston Bruins skated to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference second-round series.

Coyle deposited a nifty backhanded feed from Marcus Johansson inside the left post to forge a tie at 2 with 4:35 remaining in the third period.

The pair connected again in overtime, as Johansson wired a diagonal pass from the left circle that was shoveled home by Coyle.

Fourth-liner Noel Acciari scored a short-handed goal and Tuukka Rask finished with 20 saves for the Bruins, who host Game 2 on Saturday.

Brandon Dubinsky and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored 13 seconds apart in the third period, and Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 34 shots for the Blue Jackets, who had been idle since completing a sweep of Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay on April 16.

Columbus pressed the advantage with Boston nursing a 1-0 lead, leading to the game-tying goal following a double deflection of defenseman Seth Jones' shot from the point. Former Bruins forward Riley Nash and Dubinsky each got their stick on the puck before it sailed past Rask at 7:39 of the third period.

Artemi Panarin's shot seconds later produced another tally, as the puck caromed off Dubois and between the pads of Rask to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 advantage.

Columbus established a franchise record for the fastest two goals in a playoff game, eclipsing the previous mark of 19 seconds set in Game 4 of their recent first-round game against the Lightning.

After going 5-for-10 on the power play in their first-round series versus Tampa Bay, the Blue Jackets saw their second opportunity with the man advantage go up in smoke midway into the first period. Acciari forced a turnover at the blue line before skating in and wiring a shot that sailed over the extended right pad and under the blocker of Bobrovsky to open the scoring at 10:34.

Boston's fourth line has made its presence felt in back-to-back contests, as the group consisting of Sean Kuraly (one goal, one assist), Joakim Nordstrom (one goal, one assist) and Acciari (assist) totaled five points in Boston's 5-1 win over Toronto in Game 7 of the first-round series.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   Boston
Seth Jones 2 Points Charlie Coyle 2
Brandon Dubinsky 1 Goals Charlie Coyle 2
Seth Jones 2 Assists Marcus Johansson 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals Noel Acciari 1
Sergei Bobrovsky .919 Save Percentage Tuukka Rask .909
Sergei Bobrovsky 34 Saves Tuukka Rask 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 22 2 0-4 4-4 8 30
Boston 37 3 0-4 4-4 8 32
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Bruins have a W/L % of .612 after a win and .576 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .667 after a loss.