RALEIGH — May 14th isn’t exactly a day to remember for the Boston Bruins. The Carolina Hurricanes hope it isn’t again in Tuesday’s Game 3 at PNC Arena.
You need to go back 31 years to find the last — and only — Bruins win on May 14, a Game 7 series-clinching 6-2 victory over the Devils that has a box score that today looks more like an NHL front office than a team roster.
Both Ray Bourque and Glen Wesley had assists for the Bruins. Kirk Muller — a former Hurricanes coach — and John Maclean — one of his assistants in Carolina — each scored for the Devils. And current Boston Bruins president Cam Neely had the fifth goal for the B’s.
Not much has gone right since.
The Bruins record in May 14 games is 0-8 otherwise, including 0-6 since with some of the more crushing defeats in team history. Chronologically, here’s a look:
May 14, 1974
The Bruins lose Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final 4-2 in Philadelphia. Bill Barber broke a 2-2 tie in the third period with his goal at 14:25, and the Flyers added an insurance goal. Boston won Game 5 at home, but the Flyers — inspired by the return of Kate Smith to sing “God Bless America” at the Spectrum — took Game 6 1-0 to win the 1974 Stanley Cup.
May 14, 1977
The powerhouse Canadiens complete the sweep of the Bruins with a 2-1 overtime win at the old Garden. Jacques Lemaire had both goals for the Habs, including the winner just 4:32 into OT.
May 14, 1995
The Bruins lose 3-2 in Game 5 of the first round and are eliminated by the Devils. New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur (28 saves) outdueled Blaine Lacher (17 saves) in net, while future Bruin Bill Guerin had a goal and an assist for the Devils.
May 14, 1999
Boston lost its third straight game to the Sabres, dropping Game 4 of its conference semifinal 3-0. Dominik Hasek had a 24-save shutout, and the Bruins were later bounced in six games.
May 14, 2009
A decade later, the Bruins suffered a brutal defeat to Carolina. Scott Walker, a villain in Boston after his Game 5 punch to former teammate and Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward, scored his first career playoff goal to win Game 7 in overtime at the Garden, allowing the Hurricanes to advance.
May 14, 2010
Boston won the first three games of their Eastern Conference seminal series with the Flyers but lost Game 4 at home in overtime — setting up one of the great comebacks in hockey history. Philadelphia won Games 5 and 6, and then the Flyers completed their remarkable 3-0 series comeback by erasing a 3-0 Bruins lead just 14:10 into the game and scoring four straight goals to come away with a 4-3 win in Beantown.
May 14, 2011
Not as painful because of the end result, Boston dropped Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final at home to Tampa Bay, 5-2. The Bruins later rallied to win three of the next four, then later won Game 7 with a 1-0 shutout by Tim Thomas. Boston went on to win in seven again, beating Vancouver with another Thomas shutout, 4-0, to win their first Stanley Cup since 1972.
May 14, 2014
The Bruins were eliminated from the postseason with a 3-1 loss at home to Montreal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal. Carey Price (29 saves) outdueled Tuukka Rask (15 saves on 18 shots) to help the Habs advance.
