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Bruins look to keep asserting home-ice edge in Game 6

Boston dominated Games 3 and 4 at home, and should carry plenty of confidence on to the ice as its first-round series returns to TD Garden.

Brad Marchand and the Bruins celebrate as they tie the series up in Game 4. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

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Through two games of their first-round series, there were legitimate doubts about whether the Bruins’ season would make it past the middle of Mother’s Day afternoon. After being repeatedly obliterated by the Hurricanes during the regular season, Boston started the playoffs by being decisively beaten by their hosts in Carolina. Twice.

However, back on home ice things looked much different – much better – for the B’s, and so as they skate toward Game 6 they can do so carrying the confidence of what happened at TD Garden in Games 3 and 4. Over the course of those two contests Boston outscored Carolina by a combined score of 9-4, twice rallying back after surrendering the first goal and seizing control by striking for a pair of power play goals.

Brad Marchand’s Game 4 empty-netter gave him a grand total of three goals and five assists over the two tilts, and also seemed to speak to how unsettled the Hurricanes were in the raucous Garden environment. As Marchand steered the rubber into the empty cage, Canes defenseman Tony DeAngelo threw his stick at the Bruin forward from some 30 feet away. It could easily have gone for a penalty that would’ve given Boston its 10th power-play advantage of the game.

Nevertheless, the Bruins did what they were supposed to do. They handled their business at home – and when the series shifts back to Boston again, this time it’ll be the Hurricanes who enter the Garden needing to first defeat a measure of doubt.