The Bruins were heading back to Boston Friday night regardless of whether they won or lost. It is just now they are dragging the Ottawa Senators along with them.
The inability to hang onto a lead has been one of the big storylines for this first round series, and that was no different on Friday night.
The Senators built up a 2-0 lead in what could have been for them the deciding game 5 on home ice, and they let another one slip away as Sean Kuraly scored his second of the night 10:19 into the second overtime period to give the Bruins at least one more life.
It was a disappointing loss to say the least for the Senators, not only because it would have ended the series and avoided more travel, but because they had been the recipients of more than their share of advantageous call of which they couldn't take advantage of.
Going 0 for 5 on the power play, including spending most of the final five minutes in that situation with two separate man advantages, and then once more early in the second overtime frame certainly contributed to their inability to finish off the resilient Bruins. Ottawa had avoided dropping the game earlier when it appeared as though Boston had stuffed a rebound past Craig Anderson, but the referee waved it off for goaltender interference and it was upheld after a lenghty review. It might be justice that Boston did end up winning, because that one probably should have counted, and if the tables were turned Ottawa fans would have burnt the building down should a similar goal from their side had been denied in such a controversial manner.
Ottawa was by far the better team in the first half of the game, building a 2-0 lead but having far better chances and once again they couldn't put the Bruins away. Mark Stone was sent alone on a great saucer pass from Mike Hoffman just past the midway point of the first, and Stone showed good patience to outwait Tuukka Rask and put the backhander away. The patience was even more impressive considering Stone was gripping the stick pretty tight of late looking for his first goal in 20 games, or over two calendar months.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the Senators second breakaway goal of the night on the first shift of the second period, beating Rask five-holeand it looked like a Sunday afternoon game might not be necessary. But, as has been the case in this series, the Senators don't do things the easy way and they allowed Boston back in the game.
And not surprisingly given Anderson's track record, both goals came as the result of wraparound attempts. Brad Marchand's effort just before the midway point slid through the crease to David Pastrnak, who tapped it home as Chris Wideman failed to sufficiently tie him up and Anderson didn't react quick enough to even attempt to get across. Wideman was front and centre on the tying goal, as Kuraly scored his first of the night, banking it in from behind the goal line off the foot of Wideman and past Anderson.
The teams played a scoreless third, with both clubs having good chances, including a Stone shot off the cross bar, and Hoffman in alone and beating Rask but the goalie got just enough to send it trickling just past the post.
Kuraly's second of the night, and I would suggest (without knowing for sure) the biggest goal he has ever scored, came as a tap-in after Erik Karlsson blocked Charlie McAvoy's point shot but it went off the captain's foot right to a wide open Kuraly and it was over in an instant.
Karlsson played over 41 minutes (actually just under 42), and was noticeably cramping up on the bench just prior to what turned out to be the final faceoff of the game. In a game that went over 90 minutes, Chris Kelly played just 7:10 as the replacement in the lineup for Tom Pyatt. I had expected Tommy Wingels to play in that spot, and if a guy can't reach double digits in minutes in a game that is essentially a game and a half, why is he even in the lineup?
Wideman had a pretty big impact on the game for playing just 11:21, as in addition to being central in both Boston goals in regulation, he also got tangled up with David Krejci in the neutral zone early on and forced the Boston centre out of the game.
Ottawa just can't seem to keep their foot on the gas when they build a lead, whether by plan of by will of the Bruins, but their propensity to have serious lulls in their game after paying so strong is concerning. They got away with blowing a three goal lead in game 3, winning that one in overtime, and this time they weren't so fortunate.
The only lead that really matters at the moment is that 3-2 series lead. Ottawa built up a 3-1 lead for a reason, to give themselves three chances to finish off the Bruins. Ideally, they would have slammed the door on Friday night, to avoid extra travel and get some much needed rest to some of their top players, but that didn't happen and they must now put that behind them and try it again in Boston on Sunday afternoon.
In a series that I thought would go 7 games, and every game has been decided by 1 goal with three of them going to overtime, there isn't much to choose between the clubs and sitting at 3-2 either way is pretty fitting. I don't think Ottawa wants to have to come home to play game 7, having two full days to think about it, because it would be played Wednesday night. They have a pretty solid winning streak going in Boston, and I am sure they would like to save the Bruins some airfare and hotel costs by not making them come back to Ottawa.