2022-23 Regular Season, Game 21: Hurricanes (10-6-4) at Boston Bruins

Wins have been hard to come by for the Hurricanes in the last two weeks. Since dominating the Edmonton Oilers on November 10, the Canes have just one win (1-2-3) and they're coming off one of their worst efforts of the season, a 4-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes in Raleigh on Wednesday night. After missing a wide-open net in the first period, nothing was coming together for the Hurricanes, despite the best efforts of Pyotr Kochetkov. Even with the lines moving around, the team wasn't able to solve Karel Vejmelka as they were shut out for the second time this season. The social media community surrounding the team is starting to get very antsy and while everyone is likely overreacting to their recent play, it would be nice to see something back in the win column for the Canes. It's time for the team to get angry, but also play a disciplined game because this afternoon's opponent is a tough one.

Projected Lines/Pairs

Jordan Martinook-Sebastian Aho-Martin Necas

Andrei Svechnikov-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Jesper Fast

Jack Drury-Jordan Staal-Seth Jarvis

Stefan Noesen-Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Calvin de Haan-Jalen Chatfield

Pyotr Kochetkov

Antti Raanta

Healthy Scratches- Dylan Coghlan

IR- Ondrej Kase (upper-body injury), Teuvo Teravainen (upper-body injury), Frederik Andersen (lower-body injury)

With Antti Raanta still not at 100%, Pyotr Kochetkov will be in the net for the fourth straight game. He'll be looking to get some goal support today against the Bruins after getting little help in his last three starts. He faced Boston twice in the postseason, relieving Raanta in the Game 2 win and losing Game 3 in Boston. The forwards and defensemen will remain the same for the game with Dylan Coghlan as the healthy extra, but the lines look very different. Rod Brind'Amour has put his forward lines in a blender to see if something works. 

Today's Opponent: Boston Bruins (17-3-0, 34 Points, 1st in the Atlantic Division)

As we reach the end of November, no team has more points in the league than the Boston Bruins. I think we all overestimated just how long Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy would be out because not only are they back, they are on fire since returning to the lineup. In 12 games, Marchand has 16 points, while McAvoy has ten points in seven games. It has truly been a whole team effort with guys like David Pastrnak (T-4th in goals (13) and points (30)), Patrice Bergeron (18 points), Hampus Lindholm (18 points), and Jake DeBrusk (16 points) getting the job done as part of an offensive attack that is one of the best in the league. There really isn't a facet of the game the Bruins aren't thriving in. They score the most goals per game, allow the fewest goals per game, have the third-best power play, and the second-best penalty kill. Before their loss to Florida on Monday night, the Bruins had won seven in a row. The Panthers seemed to have the right game plan for them, beating them 5-2 behind three second-period goals. McAvoy and Pastrnak provided the scoring on the power play for the Bruins, but their kill allowed three goals on the power play to the Panthers. It was an uncharacteristic game for Boston after a great string of play. They'll look to get back into the win column to celebrate Black Friday. Worth noting, the Bruins have won all 11 games at TD Garden

Last Season v. Carolina- These two played plenty of times last season, meeting three times in the regular season and playing a seven-game set in the first round of the playoffs. The regular season meetings were dominated by the Hurricanes, winning all three games. The two sides met once in Raleigh during the season and it was the closest game of the season series. Frederik Andersen stopped all 33 shots he faced in a 3-0 win for the Hurricanes. In the two visits to Boston for the Hurricanes, they outscored the Bruins 13-1, winning 7-1 and 6-0 23 days apart. It was pure domination. The playoff series was much tighter. The home team won each game in the series and it was three points from Max Domi in Game 7 that won the game and the series for the Hurricanes. 

Boston's Starting Goalie: Linus Ullmark (13-1-0, 1.96 GAA, .935 SV%)- No goalie in the league has performed better than Ullmark this season. He leads the league in wins, GAA, and SV%. He faced the Hurricanes twice in the regular season, relieving Jeremy Swayman after he allowed five goals in the first period of the 7-1 loss, then allowing six goals in the Bruins' 6-0 loss. He also started twice against the Canes in the postseason, losing Games 1 and 2 in Raleigh. He's allowed 18 goals in four appearances in the regular season to the Canes in his career. 

Boston Player to Watch: David Krejci- After spending last season at home in the Czech League, Krejci hasn't missed a beat in his return to Boston. He's currently sixth on the team in points (15) and tied for fourth in goals (6). Krejci has been known to give the Hurricanes problems in his career as well. In 38 meetings, he's scored 29 points, his eighth-most against any team. He's been on a serious heater lately, recording points in four straight games. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR) 6:34- Stefan Noesen (3) PP (assisted by Sebastian Aho (14) & Andrei Svechnikov (8))

(CAR) 15:05- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (2) PP (assisted by Seth Jarvis (5) & Brett Pesce (4))

2nd Period

(BOS) 19:29- David Krejci (7) (assisted by David Pastrnak (18) & Pavel Zacha (10))

3rd Period

(BOS) 10:27- David Krejci (8) (assisted by Pavel Zacha (11) & Nick Foligno (8))

Overtime

(BOS) 3:19- David Pastrnak (14) PP (assisted by Brad Marchand (11) & Patrice Bergeron (10))

Let's Talk About the Game

This game left me feeling very conflicted because I believe the Canes deserved to win this game, yet I feel like Boston was the better team for the final 40+ minutes. They played an absolutely great first period and were rewarded with two goals on the power play. After the power play couldn't connect on anything for the last several weeks, they scored twice in the period. Better yet, each unit scored. The first goal began with Brent Burns making an excellent play to keep the puck in the zone and culminated in Stefan Noesen scoring his third goal of the season, all of which have come on the power play. At the end of the period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi picked up a rebound from the boards and fought to beat Linus Ullmark and make it 2-0. They had plenty of chances to add to the lead with David Pastrnak getting called for a double-minor but after Boston killed the first half of the penalty, Jordan Staal and Jack Drury took penalties in quick succession that would eventually give Boston a 5-on-3 in the second period. 

Boston would push in the second period to get their first goal, but Pyotr Kochetkov was spectacular. The Canes were holding steady until the end of the second period. In the final minute of the period, David Krejci clearly got away with high-sticking Sebastian Aho on the face-off. As it goes in hockey, Krejci would eventually score with 31 seconds left in the period to cut the Canes' lead in half. Let's call a spade a spade, Krejci shouldn't have been on the ice because he was reckless with his stick. Instead, Boston had momentum going into the third period. There was a scary moment early in the third period as Ullmark went down with an apparent head injury, forcing Jeremy Swayman into action. Midway through the period, Krejci would get his second of the game right as a power play expired. It was initially called off on the ice for goalie interference and while I do think they need to cap reviews in some way since they tend to take too long, I think the right call was made and Boston tied it at two. The Canes didn't get many chances on Swayman, but they did get some good ones in their limited chances. Andrei Svechnikov was called for a delay of game penalty in the final minute of the third period and while they killed it off, they weren't able to overcome a too-many-men penalty as David Pastrnak scored in overtime to complete the comeback. 

The Canes should've won this game 2-1 in regulation just based on the circumstances, but they didn't and we'll have to live with that. This was one of the few games where the Canes weren't the better team at 5-on-5. At the end of the day, it's another in a long string of frustrating losses, even though they got a point. Kochetkov was phenomenal and he continues to make it tough to send him down. I do think he needs to get a break here soon since he's played four in a row, but I also understand not wanting to put someone less than 100% on the ice. I'm still waiting for the offense to play a complete game. They haven't been able to combine strong play at 5-on-5 with success on the power play. They're going to win a game eventually. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Stefan Noesen (Goal)

I remember being skeptical of Noesen on the first power play unit when put next to guys like Aho, Svechnikov, and Burns, but he's held his own with them. All three of his goals have come on the power play this season and this goal was all about winning a battle and fighting for a rebound. He had a couple of chances to add to it that just didn't go.

Second Star- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Goal)

I was at PNC Arena the night he scored his first goal of the season and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulder. I saw that same look in this game when he scored in the first period. Much like with Noesen's goal, this was all about hard work and making sure he put home a rebound. Hopefully, this is a sign of good things to come for him.

First Star- Pyotr Kochetkov (38 Saves on 41 Shots)

One of these days he's going to get the goal support he did against Edmonton to go along with his ability to keep his team in a game because he deserved another win today. His 38 saves are a career-high and he did stand a chance on any of Boston's goals. He's only gotten four goals scored for him when he's in the net in his last four games, which isn't exactly a recipe for success. 

What's Next

It'll be right back on the grind tomorrow as they complete the back-to-back by returning home for a game against the Calgary Flames. Just like Carolina, Calgary played this afternoon on the road. They were in our nation's capital being shut out by Darcy Kuemper and the Washington Capitals, 3-0. The Capitals used a balanced attack, scoring in all three periods to win with Alex Ovechkin, Sonny Milano, and TJ Oshie, in his season debut, all scoring two points. Jacob Markstrom made 22 saves in the loss for the Flames. If Markstrom doesn't play again tomorrow, the Canes really need to capitalize on the backup, something they've been unable to do numerous times this season. I'm also not sure whether Antti Raanta will be in the net because Rod Brind'Amour won't throw him out there if he isn't healthy. Tomorrow if critical as the Canes look to close out the month on a good note against Calgary and Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.