Regular Season, Game 45: Hurricanes at Boston Bruins

This game is going to feel very weird, but we'll get through it. The Hurricanes have come back to America after two games in Canada that didn't go as expected. Following their overtime loss to Toronto, the Canes dropped a 4-3 decision in Ottawa despite a third-period comeback where they almost erased a 4-0 deficit. The Senators scored four goals in the 22:54 on Tuesday night, but goals from Svechnikov, Smith, and Trocheck made it a game in the third period. Tonight, the Canes will look to continue their success against Boston in this third and final meeting of the season. Carolina has outscored Boston 10-1 in the two meetings, including a 7-1 win in Boston almost a month ago. They scored five goals in the first period and two power play goals late in the third after the retirement of Willie O'Ree's jersey. The Canes will hopefully be welcoming Teuvo Teravainen to the lineup, while Ian Cole is coming back into the lineup for Brendan Smith. Frederik Andersen is in the crease to start the game tonight for the Canes. He's been in the net for both wins against Boston this season. Also, a special shoutout to Jordan Martinook on playing his 200th game with the Hurricanes tonight. 

It has been a weird week for the Bruins. First, Tuukka Rask retired after attempting to come back from an injury earlier in the year. The decision came after yet another injury that took him out of the lineup. Rask's retirement ends a decorated 15-year career, all with the Bruins, that saw him win a Vezina in 2013-14 and set the all-time Bruins' record with 308 wins in 564 games, also a team record. Rask was in the net for the first period of the 7-1 loss in January, allowing five goals. Second, Patrice Bergeron will be out of the lineup tonight with a head injury after a collision with Sidney Crosby on Tuesday night. He's listed as day-to-day, but he's for sure out of the game tonight. Lastly, Brad Marchand is also out of the lineup following a six-game suspension for an incident with Tristan Jarry on Tuesday. During a pause in the action, Marchand got into an altercation with the Pens' goalie, sucker-punched him, and then high-sticked him as he was being taken away by the referees. The league handed down their decision yesterday and he'll be missing a while. Even without two-thirds of the perfection line, there is still a lot of firepower in this lineup. We'll see Linus Ullmark after Jeremy Swayman played Tuesday night. I think this is a huge game for the Canes. It might be a bit over-exaggeration to say that, but three straight losses is not a good spot for the Canes to be at on a road trip. I'm expecting this to still be a tough game even with a few regulars out for the Bruins. I'm hoping to see a revitalized team when the puck drops tonight. 

1st Period

Scoring

(CAR) 8:26- Vincent Trocheck (13) PP (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (22) & Andrei Svechnikov (23))

Thoughts

This was as close to a playoff-like period we've had this season. The Bruins and Hurricanes were at each other's throats for a full 20 minutes. We had some huge hits, mostly from Charlie McAvoy. We had a fight, involving McAvoy and Tony DeAngelo. We had a lot of penalties, six minors and two fighting majors. We even got a goal on the power play from Vincent Trocheck. Trocheck pounded home a rebound to break the ice about halfway through the period. Frederik Andersen was sharp early and had excellent rebound control. Linus Ullmark was also good as the score could've easily been worse for Boston. The Canes really took charge at the end of the period and had some great chances that just missed the net. I wouldn't be surprised if we see this pace for 40 more minutes, just as long as the defense remains strong. 

2nd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 2:35- Andrei Svechnikov (18) (unassisted)

(CAR) 8:01- Sebastian Aho (20) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (23) & Martin Necas (16))

(CAR) 14:02- Brett Pesce (3) (assisted by Jesper Fast (8) & Jordan Staal (11))

Thoughts

The Bruins must've been exhausted after the first period because this was a masterclass showing from the Canes. Contributions up and down the lineup tonight with the usual suspects scoring, but also Pesce getting into the fun as well. The Canes pretty much controlled this period from start to finish and it was completely played at 5-on-5. Frederik Andersen was good with his glove when he was challenged, but the Canes spent most of the period in the Bruins' zone. Even with the Canes' dominance, the shots were 11-11 for the period, which is a little surprising to me. Boston pushed back a little after Aho made it 3-0, but the Pesce goal after the defense withstood the pressure took the wind out of their sails. Ottawa carried a 4-0 lead into the third period Tuesday night and we all know what happened, so I'm not going to assume this one is over yet. Things could change very quickly if the Canes take their foot off the gas. 

3rd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 1:58- Sebastian Aho (21) PP (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (24) & Andrei Svechnikov (24)

(CAR) 15:24- Jordan Staal (3) (assisted by Brady Skjei (12))

Thoughts

Ladies and gentlemen, the impossible has just been made possible again. Jordan Staal has thrown the monkey off his back and has finally remembered how to get the puck behind the goalie. Everything else that happened before that is irrelevant. Yes, Aho scored on the power play with his stick between his legs, but Jordan Staal scoring is easily the highlight of the night. He was so nonchalant about it too. This was a great third period that almost got off to a bad start when Nick Foligno scored and made contact with Andersen, but it was called no goal on the ice. Boston challenging it unsuccessfully directly led to the Aho goal and that was the dagger. This was the right way to finish the job tonight. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Night

Third Star- Jordan Staal (Goal, Assist)

We can finally stop worrying about Staal never scoring a goal again. Even before the goal, the captain played an excellent game. He picked up the secondary assist on the Pesce goal after being stopped twice himself. He laid the body well tonight and led the forwards in TOI at just over 17 minutes. I love how he hardly reacted when he deflected the puck home, but I'd expect nothing less.  

Second Star- Andrei Svechnikov (Goal, 2 Assists)

Building off a great January, the franchise player has picked up right where he left off at the beginning of February. He factored into both power play goals tonight and added a huge goal of his own early in the second period. His TOI tonight is a little lower than I expected it to be (12:53), but he was effective when on the ice, adding four hits to his three points. 

First Star- Teuvo Teravainen (3 Assists)

Tonight is a perfect example of just how important Turbo is to this lineup. Right from the jump, he was shooting the puck and making sure to distribute when necessary. All three of his assists tonight were primary assists and they all came in different ways. His chemistry with Aho is unbelievable and tonight was the most recent in a long list of plays where he just seems to know where he is. I'm very happy to see him back in the lineup.

Final Thoughts

This was one of those nights where limiting the performances to just three stars is almost impossible. I haven't even mentioned Aho's two-goal night, including a between-the-legs deflection. Frederik Andersen shut out Boston for the second time this season with 34 saves. It felt like everyone was moving well tonight on all four lines. Tonight's win completed the season sweep of the Bruins for the first time in a decade, outscoring the Bruins 16-1 in three games, including 13-1 in Boston. I'm sure Boston will use the absences for Marchand and Bergeron as an excuse for why they lost, but that is what it is. The special teams were clicking (2/4 on the PP, 4/4 on the PK). They kept the stars of Boston quiet for the most part and capitalized on every little mistake they made. The team will now move on to Minnesota to finish the road trip. The Wild are a strong team that is pushing towards the top of the Central Division. They feature one of the premier young players in the league who is extremely exciting to watch. This will be a great cross-conference matchup on Saturday night. I'm looking forward to that, but I'm going to be enjoying this win a little bit more.