The Boston Bruins will look to even the the Eastern Conference First Round against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 at TD Garden on Sunday.
Carolina won the first two games, 5-1 on Monday and 5-2 on Wednesday, before the Bruins won 4-2 in Game 3 at home Friday. It marked the first win for Boston against Carolina this season after being outscored 26-4 in five combined regular-season and playoff games, dating to Oct. 28.
"We got through one game," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We're still behind. We're still facing adversity. We need to continue to get better to get a win [Sunday]."
When Boston took the lead at 5:41 of the second period in Game 2, it marked its first lead against Carolina since Aug. 19, 2020, when the Bruins clinched their first-round playoff series against the Hurricanes.
"We expect them to come with a response," Boston forward Jake DeBrusk said. "They're a very highly motivated team. … This is the best I've seen them play."
The Bruins won Game 3 after trailing 2-0 in a best-of-7 series for the 14th time in their history. Boston has won two series in 28 tries after trailing 2-0, each time in 2011, when it defeated the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final.
Teams that take a 2-1 lead in a best-of-7 series hold a series record of 369-158 (.700), including a 7-4 mark in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, 4-2 in the first round.
Here are 3 keys for Game 2: