NHL playoffs 2019: Charlie Coyle scores game-tying goal, OT winner for Bruins

Rudi Schuller

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NHL playoffs 2019: Charlie Coyle scores game-tying goal, OT winner for Bruins image

Rarely does a player get to be the goat and the hero on the same night, but that's exactly what happened to Charlie Coyle on Thursday.

The Bruins center was directly responsible for a goal against before scoring his Boston's final two goals in its 3-2 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their second-round series. Coyle's rollercoaster game embodied the Bruins' night, as Boston exchanged leads with the Blue Jackets until cementing the victory in the extra frame.

Coyle entered Thursday's contest with three goals and an assist from the Bruins' first-round series win over Toronto, but his first contribution to Game 1 against Columbus was a turnover inside the Bruins' zone that led to the first of two Blue Jackets goals in a 13-second span. Those Columbus goals flipped the momentum in the game, giving the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead midway through the third period.

Not to be discouraged by his miscue, Coyle reversed his team's fortunes once again. With under five minutes left in regulation, Coyle received a cross-ice pass from Marcus Johansson and ripped a one-timer past Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the game up.

In overtime, Johansson and Coyle combined once again. Just over five minutes into the extra frame, the Bruins quickly broke out of their own zone and, after making four passes to find Coyle in front of goal, the 27-year-old poked the puck into the Columbus net for the winner.

In addition to giving his team the first victory of the series, Coyle made a bit of history with his pair of goals. The Boston area native joined Patrice Bergeron as the only Bruins to score a game-tying goal in the final five regulation minutes of a playoff game before also notching the overtime winner.

Coyle and the Bruins face the Blue Jackets in Game 3 on Saturday.

Rudi Schuller