The Boston Bruins have eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, the manner in which they did it, on the road in Game 6, is noteworthy in and of itself.
Let’s preview what was ahead of the Bruins before Monday’s game. In their last eight Game 6s on the road with the series lead, the Bruins were 0-8. In other words, the Bruins have been 6-2 with a 3-2 series lead after Game 5 at home, but each of those series went to a seventh winner-takes-all contest.
Last time the Bruins closed out a series in Game 6 on the road, it happened in 1991 in Hartford against the Whalers. The same Whalers organization that moved to Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes. And the Bruins will face these Hurricanes in the third round.
After the Whalers franchise moved to Carolina, the original Whalers jerseys never appeared again. Until this season. The Hurricanes wore the Whalers green jerseys twice during the regular season, ironically in two games against the Bruins.
Last time the Bruins faced the Hurricanes, it was just a bunch of guys wearing the Whalers jerseys at TD Garden. And now the Bruins are going to battle these Hurricanes for a place in the Stanley Cup Final. After they closed out the series in Game 6 on the road after 28 years, when they have done it versus Hartford. It was meant to be.
Speaking of closing out a playoff series on the road, the last time the Bruins achieved that, until Monday, it was Game 7 in Vancouver in 2011.
Victory in the second round for the Bruins was prophetic. Now they can try to move on to their first Cup Final since 2013 when they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.
