In the Stanley Cup playoffs, it's best to expect the unexpected.
But goalie Tuukka Rask leaving the Boston Bruins a few hours before game time? That was very unexpected.
When the Bruins announced Saturday morning that Rask was returning home to join his family, opting out of the NHL's Return to Play postseason in Toronto, the net suddenly belonged to Jaroslav Halak for Game 3 of their playoff series. And Halak delivered.
The Bruins won, 3-1, as Halak, who shut out the Canes in the regular season, again kept his poise and focus, making 29 saves as the Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Only a gaffe by Halak gifted the Canes a goal in the third. Halak tried to clear the puck from behind the net, but Carolina's Nino Niederreiter pawed the puck down in front and had an easy tap-in for a power-play score.
The Canes' biggest concern after the game was an injury to forward Andrei Svechnikov with 4:38 left in regulation. Svechnikov tangled with defenseman Zdeno Chara in front of the Bruins net and spun to the ice, grabbing his right leg in pain, and had to be helped to the bench.
Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour did not have an update on Svechnikov after the game, saying, "Certainly didn't look good."
Charlie Coyle's power-play goal 14 seconds into the second period was critical for the Bruins. They could play with the lead, from in front, content to get in shooting lanes, hunker down around Halak and get sticks on pucks.
When Sean Kuraly scored a short-handed goal at 1:16 of the third, redirecting a Coyle shot, the Bruins' lead was 2-0 and that was all Halak needed. Brad Marchand, who assisted on Coyle's goal, scored a late empty-net goal.
The Canes had some power-play chances but the Bruins' penalty killers outworked them. They made zone entries a task, blocked shots and consistently cleared pucks. Only the turnover by Halak was costly.
Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour turned to goalie Petr Mrazek in Game 3 after James Reimer got the start _ and a 3-2 win _ in Game 2. On a day when the Canes' play often was lackluster, Mrazek was called on to make some tough stops.
Halak had 24 saves against Carolina in the early December game in Boston that the Bruins won, 2-0. Rask, so sharp against Carolina last year in the Eastern Conference finals, started the first two games of the playoff series and Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Friday that he anticipated Rask starting again Saturday _ the third game in four days in the series.
"That was a personal decision for (Rask), something about family," Canes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. "That doesn't change what we have to do, doesn't change how we have to prepare.
"That shouldn't affect what we do. We've just got to get back to our game."
With a noon start for the NBC broadcast, there was a scoreless first period and both teams looked to ramp up their energy level in empty Scotiabank Arena.
David Pastrnak, a member of the Bruins' so-called Perfection Line, again was sidelined after injuring himself at the end of Game 1. That took a 48-goal scorer out of the lineup for a second straight game but the Bruins were able to compensate.
Halak saved a goal late in the first period. With the puck sliding toward the goal line, Halak covered the puck near the post. The play was reviewed but with Halak's glove over the puck there was no conclusive evidence that the puck had crossed the line before play was stopped.
The Canes outshot the Bruins 15-7 in the first but a high-sticking penalty against defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk late in the period was costly. Van Riemsdyk bloodied Joakim Nordstrom, a former Hurricanes forward, picking up four minutes of penalty time.
The Bruins didn't convert late in the first but did early in the second. Marchand collected a cross-corner dump by David Krejci to get off a shot that Mrazek blocked but Coyle batted in the rebound for the power-play score.
"They pushed back," Canes forward Justin Williams said. "They're a championship hockey team over there, a lot of pedigree over there, a lot of experience. We weren't ready for the push back."
The Bruins were flying, forcing Mrazek to make some tough stops as they outshot the Canes 20-8 in the period. Mrazek stopped Ondrej Kase's breakaway to keep it 1-0 after two periods.
"The first period was fine," Brind'Amour said. "We had a couple of good looks and one real close to being in, if not in. It was right there for us. But then we let off the gas a little and that team's too good. If you give them an inch, they're taking a mile. They got their game going and we never got to our game. It was a miracle we were still in it."
