The Boston Bruins were on the brink of postseason elimination when they took the ice at the Canadian Tire Center Friday night. That likelihood seemed to multiply when the Bruins found themselves trailing the Ottawa Senators by a 2-0 margin in the second period.But just when the situation was about to drift into the hopeless category, the Bruins bounced back to tie the score and eventually win the game in double overtime. As a result, the Bruins and the Senators will play Game 6 in the best-of-seven series Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.The hero of the Game 5 victory was the little-known Sean Kuraly, who scored the tying goal late in the second period and the winning goal midway through the second overtime.Kuraly played with speed and physicality, and he went to the front of the net to score both of his goals. That is something that Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy wanted to see from his team throughout the series, and Kuraly rewarded the team with his effort.The coach was clearly pleased with Kuraly and aggressive center Noel Acciari."I knew Acciari from Providence, so I knew what he could bring," Cassidy said, per Anthony Guliziaof the Boston Globe. "They both really stepped up in terms of giving us straight-line players who can get to the net. How can you not be happy for the kid' He works hard.The Bruins came up with the much-needed 3-2 victory, but if they aren't as good or better in Game 6, the Senators will celebrate and move on to the second round. If Boston can defend their home ice, the two teams will meet in Ottawa Wednesday to contest the seventh and decisive game in the series.Here's a complete look at the first round of the NHL playoffs:Just as the Bruins will play to keep their postseason lives intact on their home ice, so too will the Toronto Maple Leafs. After taking a 2-1 lead in their series with the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, the Maple Leafs have dropped their past two games and are on the brink of elimination.The Maple Leafs will host Game 6 Sunday night.Toronto lost a 2-1 decision in overtime Friday night, as Justin Williams of the Capitals was left alone in the slot early in the extra session and snapped home the game-winner.Overtime has been the theme of this series, as four of the five games have gone past regulation, with each team winning two games after the 60 minutes is up.Mike Babcock's Maple Leafs have played with speed and determination throughout the series and more than a fair amount of guts. Washington came into the playoffs as the No. 2 favorite behind the Chicago Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup, according to OddsShark, but the Leafs have played like the Caps' equals and have not looked intimidated at any point in the playoffs.If Toronto wins the sixth game, the two teams will play the seventh game in Washington Tuesday night.While the Boston-Ottawa series and the battle between Toronto and Washington are still to be decided, five first-round series have already come to an end.The St. Louis Blues defeated the favored Minnesota Wild in five games, and their 4-3 overtime victory Saturday put an end to that series.The desperate Wild trailed 3-1 in the third period, but Minnesota tied the score on goals by Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker,sending their home fans into a frenzy.While Minnesota dominated much of the overtime session, the Blues' Vladimir Sobotka set up Magnus Paajarvi with a beautiful pass, and he beat Devan Dubnyk with a short wrist shot to end the series.The Blues will meet the Nashville Predators in the conference semifinals. The Preds registered a four-game sweep over the Blackhawks.The New York Rangers eliminated the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night, winning the final three games of their series to defeat the Habs in six games.Mats Zuccarello scored two goals in New York's 3-1 victory, and the Rangers simply would not let Montreal's attack get untracked once they took the lead.A lack of offense was Montreal's biggest problem in their first-round loss. Max Paciorettywas the Canadiens' leading scorer during the regular season, with 35 goals, but he was held to a single assist in the six games against the Rangers.The Rangers will face the winner of the Boston-Ottawa series.The Edmonton Oilers also came through with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks and have advanced to the conference semifinals. The victory in Game 6 at SAP Center gave the Oilers a 4-2 victory in their first-round series.The Oilers will face the Anaheim Ducks, who finished two points ahead of the Oilers in the regular season to win the Pacific Division. That narrow but significant edge allowed Anaheim to gain home-ice advantage in the upcoming series.
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