The Art of the Comeback: How the B's Rallied in Game 4

BostonBruins.com - It just felt like it was going to be one of those nights.

For nearly 50 minutes, the Bruins couldn't buy a goal against Carolina goalie James Reimer. Close calls, almosts, and what ifs were the theme as Boston failed to bury a bevy of golden opportunities over the first two-and-a-half periods of Game 4.

But the Black & Gold weren't interested in going down easily. A few offensive adjustments during the second intermission had them in the right mindset entering the third period, and even after they squandered a power-play chance in the opening minute-plus of the final frame.

"Just a few minor adjustments," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of his message ahead of the third. "And other than that, just stay in the game, keep playing, maybe push the envelope a little offensively. You're down a couple, having trouble scoring, so you're not going to go out there and gamble, but you need to be proactive offensively and it worked out in our favor."

Did it ever.

The Bruins finally broke through on Jake DeBrusk's marker at 7:26 of the third and went on to score four straight goals over a span of 6:51 to overcome a two-goal deficit and surge to a 4-3 victory and 3-1 series lead over the Hurricanes.

It was the 11th time in franchise history that the Bruins rallied from a multi-goal deficit in the final period of a playoff game to win.

"We have a ton of character in our room," said Brad Marchand, who gave Boston a 3-2 lead with 8:20 remaining. "We didn't plan on coming back in the first minute of that period. We always say it's a process and we continue to build every shift and that's what we did. We just continued to impose our will and play our game. And when we play like that, we're a tough team to play."

Here's an in-depth look at how the Bruins pulled off their thrilling Game 4 comeback:

Taking Flight | 7:26 of Period 3

While they let 1:37 of power-play time drift away to start the third period, the Bruins stuck with their adjustments and eventually broke through on DeBrusk's first tally of the night. David Krejci started the sequence from deep in Boston's end with an outlet pass to Connor Clifton, who eventually tapped it over to Ondrej Kase just inside the blue line.

Kase proceeded to zip a puck toward center ice that bounced off DeBrusk and by Carolina defenseman Haydn Fleury into the slot. DeBrusk raced by Fleury for the loose puck, beating Reimer to the punch, and was able to rip it into an empty net as he went airborne over a diving Reimer to pull Boston within 2-1.

Cassidy: "Well, from my standpoint, clearly DeBrusk scoring [got us going]. I mean, we're having a really tough time, especially five-on-five, so that started it for us. Now we're back in the game, we got a chance."

Marchand: "The play that Jake made and that line made on that first goal gave us a ton of life…after that first one, we start to roll and we got a ton of life. Any time you have life, it's a dangerous thing, you can feed off it. Again, especially with our group, the way that we play and the emotion and character that we have, it's when we're at our best."

Lowering the Boom: 9:49 of Period 3

With the Bruins already buzzing after DeBrusk's tally, Boston received even more of a boost when Charlie McAvoy unleashed a crushing, perfectly delivered check to Carolina captain Jordan Staal in front of the Hurricanes bench. The thunderous smack - perhaps Boston's best since Torey Krug thumped Robert Thomas in Game 1 of last year's Cup Final - had an empty Scotiabank Arena buzzing and sent Staal to the dressing room.

McAvoy: "I started skating backwards, tried to kind of take a proper angle there. You want to make sure all your stuff is in, so you don't deliver a dirty hit. You never hope to injure someone. Just to take the puck from a man and I hope he's doing OK.

"All I'm thinking is to try and separate a man from the puck and try get us possession back as quick as possible so we can play offense and try and tie the game up. That was really my only thought process. The game moves so fast and I just wanted to deliver a clean check and just do my job."

DeBrusk: "He's got a lot of meat over there. I didn't actually see the hit live…the reaction of the bench - it's so weird without fans, to be honest with you. Anytime there's a big play or a good scoring chance, the only way you know is by the bench reaction. Obviously, it was a big hit and it was a good moment for us. That's when we're coming hard."

Cassidy: "We were pushing, so obviously it helps us a lot, but I think it really demoralizes the other team. When one of your veteran players, a leader in your room, or really a respected player in this league, takes a good, hard, clean hit, it affects your group. So, it affected us positively and probably them in a negative manner. They lose a guy that's a shutdown centerman and had been doing a real good job against Bergy's line that game, so for us it really helped."

Tying It Up | 10:10 of Period 3

Still riding high after McAvoy's hit, the Bruins' got another bump from the back end.

Clifton dumped the puck in from the neutral zone as he absorbed a hit and sent the Carolina player backward and down to the ice. Chris Wagner surged in on the forecheck and separated Carolina defenseman Jake Gardiner from the puck, allowing linemate Joakim Nordstrom to swoop in and collect it behind the net.

Nordstrom emerged on the other side of the cage and found Clifton in the middle of the right circle. With Par Lindholm providing a stellar screen at the top of the blue paint, Clifton unleased a one-timer that sailed past the right shoulder of Reimer to knot things at 2.

Cassidy: "We weren't making plays we typically make. We missed some opportunities with good looks either wide of the net or over the net, so we talked a bit about changing sides maybe in the O-zone once you create a turnover, and that's what happened with Nordy. You got his separation, come out the other side. They're a man-to-man team, maybe their winger lost sight of the D.

"And the other thing, we challenged the D after the first period to be more involved offensively in terms of helping create offense and get your shot through and work in the offensive blue line well. So Cliffy, he wanted to let the coaching staff and myself, personally, know that he can do it and they can get the job done.

"I was very happy for him. I mean, he's come into the lineup, hasn't played a lot of hockey, couple points tonight, big goal for us. And that fourth line, Nordy deserves to be rewarded. They played hard, been really, really good for us and nice to see them get on the score sheet as well."

Clifton: "Great pass by Nordy, but I was ready to shoot all the way. At intermission, Butchy was harping on getting more pucks to the net, and bodies, and we did exactly that. Great net front presence by those guys in front and fortunately it went in."

Taking the Lead | 11:40 of Period 3

The Bruins continued to swarm as just 1:30 after Clifton's goal, Marchand got into the act with his third of the postseason. Krug began the play with a perfectly placed bank pass off the boards in the neutral zone that landed directly on Marchand's stick.

Marchand broke in all alone on Reimer and finished five-hole to give Boston a 3-2 advantage.

Marchand: "[Krug's] such a smart player. He saw me going. I saw the turnover. I think they were making a change. I just started to go. We made eye contact. He made a great play to get it by that one defender. I was a little surprised, actually, when I looked up and there was nobody there. I thought there was going to be a D-man coming across the ice. But, a good break by us and great play by Torey."

Adding On | 14:17 of Period 3

The Black & Gold still weren't done as they finished off their furious flurry with DeBrusk's second of the period. Matt Grzelcyk kicked things off with a strong end-to-end rush and got the puck deep in the Carolina zone. A well-executed forecheck by DeBrusk forced an errant pass up the right-wing wall, where Krejci picked it off and found Kase in the slot.

Kase immediately shipped the puck back across the slot to DeBrusk, who collected it on his backhand and wristed one over Reimer's blocker to put Boston up, 4-2.

DeBrusk: "Any time you can contribute in a win, it's huge. Obviously, we've had some pretty good looks in the series. I just wanted to, No. 1, try to find my game and just help the team. I kind of got lucky on the first one, I'd like to say, and a great play by my linemates on the second one. We rallied to win."

Marchand: "He kind of thrives when he gets a goal, gets a bounce," said Marchand. "He feeds off of that and gets a ton of confidence. That's when he's at his best. We just knew he needed one and he's been all around it. He's been playing really well. Has had a lot of really good, prime opportunities that he normally puts in. He came up big when we need it. He did a great job tonight. He really stepped up in a big way."

Cassidy: "Good for him, happy for him. Sometimes he gets streaky, so hopefully this sets him off."

Making It Interesting | 18:33 of Period 3

Carolina did not go quietly. Teuvo Teravainen pulled the Hurricanes back within a goal with Reimer on the bench for an extra attacker when his backhander squeaked through Jaroslav Halak to make it 4-3 Boston with 1:27 remaining. It was Carolina's first shot of the period.

But Boston - which outshot the Hurricanes, 16-2, in the third - was able to lock it down after that, securing the win and a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Cassidy: "At the end of the day, we kept playing. You've got to play through some stuff. These guys in the room know you win as a team, you lose as a team and I'm sure they wanted to pick Jaro up, and eventually the puck bounced our way. So hopefully get some work in [on Tuesday] and be a little sharper in Game 5."