NHL Rink Wrap: Tying playoff series up in 2-2 knots

• The Bruins tied their series against the Hurricanes despite Charlie McAvoy missing Game 4.

• After turning to Jordan Binnington in Game 4, the Blues tied their series against the Wild at 2-2.

• Right off the bat, the Lightning took it to the Maple Leafs in Game 4, tying their series at 2-2 with gusto.

• Wrapping up a Sunday of tied NHL series in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kings smothered the Oilers in Game 4.

The Bruins began a trend across the NHL playoffs on Sunday, tying their series 2-2 with the Hurricanes. Unlike some of the other teams, the Bruins didn’t ride a red-hot start, though. Instead, the Bruins fought back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to win.

It’s dangerous to say “No Charlie McAvoy, no problem.” Instead, it may be wiser to say that Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and other top Bruins stars often find ways to solve Boston’s problems.

Now, we move to teams tying series 2-2 in part because of strong Game 4 starts.

Granted, in Game 4 of Wild – Blues, the first period ended 1-1. Still, the Blues opened the scoring, and dominated shots on goal (18-5) early on. While the Wild flipped the SOG battle in the second period (13-7), the Blues scored the frame’s two goals, including a tremendous Jordan Kyrou tally.

Late Blues goals inflated the lead, but the bottom line is that Kyrou, Ryan O'Reilly, and David Perron put together a strong effort to tie their series 2-2 with the Wild.

It’s never great when a 7-3 score can be misleadingly positive, but that might be the case for the Maple Leafs. Or, at least, it inflates Toronto’s offensive efforts. Steven Stamkos had home fans buzzing by scoring just one minute in. Within the first eight minutes of Game 4, the Lightning were up 3-0 over the Maple Leafs, and the