By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer <\/p>\n
BOSTON (AP) - The regular season wasn't much of a struggle for the Boston Bruins, and neither was their first-round playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings. <\/p>\n
Tuukka Rask made 31 saves Saturday, and the defending Eastern Conference champions eliminated the Red Wings with a 4-2 victory in Game 5. <\/p>\n
After finishing the regular season with the best record in the NHL, the Bruins advanced to the conference semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens. <\/p>\n
\"That series was much tougher than maybe the results showed,\" said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who gave Boston the lead for good with 4 seconds left in the second period. \"I think that we handled it well, we came into this series ready and we got the job done.\" <\/p>\n
Loui Eriksson opened the scoring for Boston, and Chara's goal on a 4-on-3 advantage snapped a 1-1 tie. Milan Lucic also scored, and Jarome Iginla added an empty-netter. <\/p>\n
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg scored and Jonas Gustavsson stopped 29 shots for Detroit. The Red Wings scored only six goals in the five-game series. <\/p>\n
\"We're not there yet,\" said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, whose team failed to win a playoff series in two of the past three seasons. \"The last two years, we battled to get into the playoffs. To me, that's a measure of where we are. Instead of battling for the Cup, we're battling to make the playoffs.\" <\/p>\n
It was 1-1 when the Bruins gained a 4-on-3 power play thanks to a holding penalty on Johan Franzen just 22 seconds before Brendan Smith was called for cross-checking. On a faceoff in the Detroit zone, Patrice Bergeron lured two of the three Red Wings defenders toward the corner and then passed it across the ice to Chara, who one-timed it past Gustavsson. <\/p>\n
Not usually demonstrative, Chara felt this one was worth celebrating. <\/p>\n
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Bruins beat Red Wings 4-2, advance in NHL playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) - The regular season wasn't much of a struggle for the Boston Bruins, and neither was their first-round playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings. Tuukka Rask made 31 saves Saturday, and the defending Eastern Conference champions eliminated the Red Wings with a 4-2 victory in Game 5. After finishing the regular season with the best record in the NHL, the Bruins advanced to the conference semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens. Continue reading