BOSTON —The Columbus Blue Jackets, an expansion team less than 10 years old, and the Boston Bruins, one of the NHL‘s Original Six, meet for the first time ever in the postseason when the CBJ travels to Boston for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night.
Irascible Jackets coach John Tortorella pulled it all together in Columbus and saw his Blue Jackets sweep the Presidents Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning out of the playoffs.
The Blue Jackets are not alone in knocking off a higher-seeded team in this history-making Stanley Cup year.
This is the first time that all four division champions have been knocked out in the first round.
Brock McGinn scored 11:05 into double-overtime to complete the Carolina Hurricanes’ comeback within a comeback in a 4-3 victory in Washington to send the Canes into the second round against the New York Islanders.
In the Western Conference, Dallas beat Central Division champion Nashville and Colorado downed the Pacific Division’s Calgary Flames.