David Pastrnak prevents late collapse from Bruins, who push Columbus to brink

Circling the net after a delicious transition finish, David Pastrnak held his hand up to his ear as to signal to Boston Bruins fans that it was time to celebrate a Game 5 win and a 3-2 series lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at TD Garden Arena.

But when Ryan Dzingel and Dean Kukan scored in the space of two minutes to erase the two-goal lead Pastrnak has just re-established with less than 10 minutes to go in the third period, it turned out a second decisive moment was required from the Bruins star winger.

Scampering into the zone in transition with Brad Marchand carrying the puck on the opposite side late in regulation, Pastrnak accepted another brilliant feed from his talented linemate and steadied a one-touch re-direct shot inside the post and beyond the pad sliding over from Blue Jackets netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.

Pastrnak’s second of the game marked his fifth goal of what’s been an up-and-down postseason from an individual standpoint.

However, now twice Pastrnak has lifted his team with crucial performances at moments where the Bruins needed it the most. He scored twice in 95 seconds in the Bruins’ Game 4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, which evened the first-round series at the time.

Now up to 13 goals in 30 career postseason games, this was Pastrnak’s first game winner.

Boston can now advance to the Eastern Conference Final to face the surprise Carolina Hurricanes with a win Monday in Columbus.

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