BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins earned themselves a seventh game with another dominating performance at home.
The problem: The clincher will be at Carolina, where the Hurricanes have been just as unbeatable.
"Everybody loves a Game 7," Boston Coach Bruce Cassidy said after the Bruins won 5-2 on Thursday night to even their first-round playoff series against Carolina at three games apiece. "We'd rather be at home, I'm not going to lie to you.
"But we'd play them on Mars if we had to."
Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots, and Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist for Boston in the sixth consecutive blowout for the home team. Charlie Coyle also had a goal and an assist for Boston, and Erik Haula and Derek Forbort added third-period goals before Curtis Lazar backhanded the puck into the empty net with 4:17 to play to make it 5-1.
"We've got to win, now, one road game. That's in front of us," Cassidy said. "We knew that when we started, we'd have to win at least one to advance. So here it is."
The Hurricanes will host Game 7 on Saturday in Raleigh, where they have gone 3-0 by a combined score of 15-4. The winner will play either the Penguins or Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals; Pittsburgh leads that series 3-2 heading into Game 6 tonight.
"The good news is we have another game to play," Carolina Coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Right now, it's tough. You should feel brutal, to be honest with you. And then you wake up, and you feel excited that you have an opportunity."
Two days after losing 5-1 at Carolina, the Bruins returned home and put up an equally one-sided performance.
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Antti Raanta made 29 saves for the Hurricanes. Neither Swayman, a rookie, nor Raanta has ever appeared in a seventh game.
"I can't wait," said Swayman, who took over as starter after Linus Ullmark lost the first two games in Carolina. "It's Game 7. We're extremely excited. ... It's a fun atmosphere to be a part of. Couldn't ask for much more."
Marchand broke a scoreless tie 46 seconds into the second period, taking a long cross-ice pass from Connor Clifton and skating to the right circle before wristing it over Raanta's glove.
Coyle gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the last two minutes of the period, poking in the trickling rebound of David Pastrnak's one-timer. Svechnikov made it a one-goal game early in the third before Haula and Forbort gave Boston back its cushion.
Svechnikov's second goal came with 2:30 left during a power play for a double minor to Marchand for spearing.
LIGHTNING 4,
MAPLE LEAFS 3
TAMPA, Fla. -- Brayden Point scored on a rebound with 1:56 remaining in overtime, giving Tampa Bay a victory over Toronto and forcing Game 7 in the first-round playoff series between the Atlantic Division rivals.
Ondrej Palat, Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, who blew a two-goal lead for the second consecutive game and trailed 3-2 entering the third period.
Andrei Vasilevskiy had 30 saves, nine in overtime, to improve to 18-0 in games following a playoff loss over the past three postseasons. Jack Campbell stopped 32 of 36 shots for the Maple Leafs, who are chasing their first playoff series win in 18 years.
Game 7 is Saturday in Toronto.
The Lightning are trying to become the first team to capture three consecutive Stanley Cup titles since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-84.
The Maple Leafs, who've been eliminated in the first round each of the past five seasons, are 0-for-their-last-8 in close-out games.
At a glance
NHL PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7)
Thursday's games
Boston 5, Carolina 2
Series tied 3 - 3
Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 3, OT
Series tied 3 - 3
St. Louis 5, Minnesota 1
St. Louis wins series 4-2
Edmonton at Los Angeles, (n)
Los Angeles leads series 3-2
Today's games
All times Central
NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.
Pittsburgh leads series 3-2
Florida at Washington, 6:30 p.m.
Florida leads series 3-2
Calgary at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Calgary leads series 3-2
Boston Bruins' Charlie Coyle (13) celebrates his goal with Craig Smith (12) during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Boston Bruins' Charlie Coyle (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta (32) during the second period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Carolina Hurricanes' Ian Cole (28) falls onto Boston Bruins' Marc McLaughlin (26) behind Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta (32) during the first period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Carolina Hurricanes' Nino Niederreiter (21) works against Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron (37) in front of goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) during the first period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal, next to Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin (74) during the second period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Boston Bruins' Connor Clifton (75) checks Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) during the second period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)