Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 4 | May 22nd, 2011

The Eastern Conference Finals are so much better than the Western! Really keeping me on the edge of my seat.

[Bruins-Bolts] 3-5. Series tied at 2-2. What a great start the Bruins had! But I liked how the Bolts battled back. Let's take this one period by period.

♦ The Bruins came out strong. They controlled the first period and made scoring look so easy. They got three unassisted goals: Bergeron scored twice (one was a short-handed goal too) and Ryder once. Paille and Chara were effectively stopping attacks by the Bolts, there was plenty of aggresive forechecking and it paid off. I felt sad for Roloson though as he got replaced by Mike Smith. It was not all his fault, but I understand. Guy Boucher needed to do something to wake his squad up. Bruins clearly dominated this period and went into intermission with a 3-0 lead

♦ The first few minutes of the second period both teams played really awkwardly, but after a while you could see the Bolts picking up speed. Skating a bit more energetically, being a bit more aggresive in front of the Bruins goal and sure enough it paid off as Purcell scored. And this was followed by a rather dramatic momentum shift. A minute later he scored again and a couple of minutes later Bergenheim equalised the game. 3-3! That was an awesome comeback for sure. Timmie did mess up a bit there. He was not being floppy this time, but he spent way too much time behind the net. Instead of getting rid off the puck with some urgency, he fooled around and the Bolts got their hands on it, giving Purcell the opportunity to score that first one. Fortunately Timmie regained his composure and went on to do some excellent goaltending, but yeah, he did allow the Bolts back into the game I think. Second period ... 3-3!

♦ The Bruins owned the first, the Bolts the second and going into the third period I wondered which team would stay on top. The third period started off a bit dull. Some good saves by Timmie but I must admit that my mind started to wander a bit. Just as I realised I was not paying attention to the game, lightning struck for the fourth time. Gagne scored, giving the Bolts the lead. This seemed to wake the Bruins up a bit and they started to play with a bit more zest and I could see some of the control they showed in the first period returning, but ultimately it was too late for the Bruins. In the final minute the Bolts went on to score an empty-netter, effectively securing the Game 4 win.

♦ Other noteworthy moments: Chara made an awesome save with his skate as Timmie found himself in the wrong spot. Chara, there is no end to this guys team spirit!

♦ I have not seen Mike Smith play often, but he brought confidence to the team and admittedly made some great saves there. I suppose one of the biggest questions for Game 5 will be: Who's in net?!

Now I have a preference for the Bruins, but the Bolts are cool too. So bring on the next one. The more games we have in this series the better, because the games are just so enjoyable!