2022-23 Regular Season, Game 49: Hurricanes (31-9-8) v. Boston Bruins

You aren't going to experience much as exciting as what we saw on Friday night at PNC Arena. The Canes and the Sharks put on a very exciting show in the third period. After each side scored once in the first 40 minutes courtesy of Oskar Lindblom and Calvin de Haan, Sebastian Aho scored 17 seconds into the third period to give the Canes a 2-1 lead. San Jose would score three unanswered, including an empty-net goal with 1:52 left to lead 4-2 as many Canes fans headed for the exit. Aho picked up his second of the night just 15 seconds later to pull the Canes within one. With Raanta on the bench, Martin Necas scored with 11.5 seconds left on a rebound to tie the game and send the Caniacs into a frenzy. The goal would force overtime and just 55 seconds into extra time, Necas finished the job once again, scoring an overtime goal in back-to-back games to complete the comeback. The win propelled the Canes to 70 points to earn them their 15th win at home and 31st overall. They joined their opponent tonight as the only other team to win 15 games at home and on the road. PNC Arena will certainly be rocking as the two best teams in the league go to war. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Teuvo Teravainen-Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Andrei Svechnikov-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Martin Necas

Jordan Martinook-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Stefan Noesen-Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan

Jalen Chatfield-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Dylan Coghlan-Calvin de Haan

Frederik Andersen

Antti Raanta

Injuries/Scratches- Jaccob Slavin (lower-body injury)

IR- Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Ondrej Kase (LTIR- concussion)

Brent Burns will skate in his 1300th NHL game tonight as the Canes battle in their second meeting between division leaders this week. The forwards and defensemen will remain the same as Jaccob Slavin is still unable to go. Frederik Andersen will start after leaving Wednesday's game after the first period with an upper-body injury. Andersen is 15-3-0 against the Bruins in his career with a 2.13 GAA. 

Tonight's Opponent: Boston Bruins (38-6-5, 81 Points, 1st in the Atlantic Division)

There aren't enough words to describe the pure dominance the Bruins have shown this season. They are 11 points ahead of the Canes in the President's Trophy race. They are 13 points ahead of Toronto for the lead in the Atlantic Division. They lead the league in goals scored and have allowed the fewest goals. There is nothing this team hasn't been able to accomplish. However, they're in uncharted territory with their play recently. For the first time since last April, the Bruins have lost two games in a row in the regular season. After losing just their sixth game in regulation to Tampa Bay on Thursday, the Bruins suffered a rough loss yesterday to the Panthers in overtime. Behind goals from Craig Smith and Charlie Coyle, the Bruins led 2-1 through 40 minutes. Florida would tie the game before the halfway point of the third and the two sides entered the final minute that way. David Pastrnak broke the tie with 49 seconds left to send shockwaves through Sunrise. The Panthers weren't out of it though as they did their best Canes impression as Aleksander Barkov tied it once again with 1.4 seconds left to force overtime. Florida required just 17 seconds to win the game as Sam Reinhart uncorked a bomb that beat Jeremy Swayman over his shoulder to finish the game and give the Bruins another loss. This loss is nothing to be concerned about and I expect it to make them angry tonight. 

Last Meeting v. Carolina- The Canes were in control of the first meeting this season in Boston. In the first period, Stefan Noesen and Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored on the power play to stake the Canes to a 2-0 lead. The game changed in the final minute of the second period as David Krejci finally broke a shot past Pyotr Kochetkov with 31 seconds left. Krejci would score a second goal to tie things and it would remain that way through 60 minutes. In overtime, the Canes would be called for having too many men on the ice and Pastrnak called game as he scored the overtime winner to record their 18th win in 21 games. The overtime loss would begin a streak of 17 straight games with a point for the Canes. 

Boston's Starting Goalie: Linus Ullmark (25-3-1, 1.86 GAA, .937 SV%)- There are hot goalies and then there are goalies who rarely lose. Ullmark just so happens to be both. He's the runaway leader in the clubhouse to win the Vezina this season, leading all goalies in wins, GAA, and save percentage. Ullmark started against the Canes when the two teams met in Boston but was forced out of the game in the third period with an injury. He'd made 28 saves on 30 shots before the injury. He allowed three goals in Boston's loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Boston Player to Watch: Taylor Hall- The former MVP has found a good thing with the Bruins after a few rough seasons where he was moving around from city to city. He's one of nine skaters with 30+ points for the Bruins and fifth on the team with 14 goals. However, the well has dried out for Hall, who has just one goal and four points in his last 18 games. The puck isn't finding the back of the net, which makes it all the more troubling that tonight could be the night he does it again. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR) 10:52- Sebastian Aho (21) (unassisted)

2nd Period

(CAR) 12:05- Paul Stastny (4) PP (assisted by Martin Necas (24) & Brent Burns (26))

3rd Period

(CAR) 1:57- Seth Jarvis (8) (unassisted)

(BOS) 3:22- Taylor Hall (15) (assisted by Pavel Zacha (24) & Charlie McAvoy (27))

(CAR) 15:40- Jardan Staal (14) SH EN (assisted by Jordan Martinook (14))

Let's Talk About the Game

As a fan, these are the types of games you both love and hate. You love that two of the very best in the league are about to go to war but you also want them to win so badly that you can't stand the thought of losing. When it comes to the Boston Bruins, I really don't like them. It's both out of respect for what they've done while also acknowledging they have one of the most annoying fanbases in the league and a few players that really both me. The recent playoff history has only added to the disdain, even after the Canes beat them last season. The only way I can describe this game now that it's over is pure dominance. From the moment the puck was dropped in the first period to when the final horn sounded, the Hurricanes put in one of their most complete efforts of the season against the league's top team. 

From the outset of the game, the Canes were jumping down the throat of the Boston Bruins and Linus Ullmark. They were throwing the puck at the net with ferocity and were being met at every turn. The Canes got an early chance on the power play that they were unable to capitalize on. The opening goal of the game was the result of a takeaway by Sebastian Aho on David Pastrnak. When someone is as hot as Aho, it feels like he never misses. He brought the puck in with speed and beat Ullmark on the blocker side to send PNC Arena into a frenzy and put the Canes up 1-0. The penalty kill would do its job after Aho took a penalty and they'd head into the intermission with a lead. The Canes decided they wanted to make their job even tougher in the second period by taking three penalties in the first 8:13. Fortunately, the penalty kill was on its game as they killed off all three. As it often goes, the Canes would then get their moment in the sun and after a brief disturbance between Brad Marchand and Andrei Svechnikov, the power play would get one as Paul Stastny buried a rebound chance off of the boards to beat a sprawling Ullmark as the lead doubled. It felt like the Bruins were trying to make a push near the end of the period. Frederik Andersen was having none of it as the Canes made it to the final 20 minutes with a 2-0 lead. 

The third period couldn't have started any better for the Canes. After Aho cleared a puck out of the zone, Seth Jarvis took it right off of the Bruins' defender to get another breakaway chance on Ullmark. He made no mistake about it, making Ullmark bite as he roofed a backhand to put the Canes up 3-0 and make it feel like this game was all but over. Boston had other plans as Taylor Hall would be credited with a goal after Pavel Zacha threw a puck at the net that hit him on the way in. There's a caveat to this one because it really shouldn't have counted. Hampus Lindholm blatantly lifted the stick out of Aho's hands and it flew about 20 feet into the air. This is a penalty. You can't do that. This allowed Zacha, Aho's man, to get the shot to the net for it to be deflected to ruin the shutout. Boston would kill the Canes' fourth attempt on the power play to keep it a two-goal game before earning their fifth chance on the man advantage. They'd fall short once again before they got another chance just a few minutes later. The Bruins decided to pull their goalie to make it a 6-on-4 but it would prove to be their undoing. The Canes would score their seventh short-handed goal of the month as Jordan Staal bullied David Pastrnak down the ice and pushed it into the open net. The Canes would kill the penalty and would run out the clock to put a bow on another two points. 

This run the Hurricanes are on is truly remarkable and I'm not just talking about this most recent five-game win streak. Since the Canes lost to Boston the day after Thanksgiving, the Canes are 22-3-4, meaning they've recorded at least one point in 26 of their last 29 games. They're outscoring their opponents 107-75 for a +32 goal differential. They are playing unbelievable hockey as of late and it has led them to become a true contender for the Stanley Cup. Tonight, the Canes proved they have what it takes as they dominated from start to finish. Andersen was spectacular when he needed to be, though he wasn't challenged nearly as much as Ullmark was. Boston's goalie needs to be given a little bit of credit because he kept Boston in this game for the longest time. I don't think there are too many negatives to point out. Despite the penalty kill being perfect tonight, six kills is a lot to ask of any unit, even one as hot as Carolina's. Everyone had their moment to shine and it contributed to a fantastic win. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Frederik Andersen (24 Saves)

Outside of a rough period on Wednesday night against Dallas, Andersen has returned to his Vezina-caliber performance. Tonight, he didn't have the toughest of nights but he stood tall in the net and denied one of the league's best offenses to one goal. Most importantly, he stopped all eight shots he faced from Boston's power play as he remained perfect since his return from injury. 

Second Star- Sebastian Aho (Goal)

Over the last eight days, no player in the NHL has scored more goals than Aho has. He's put up seven goals in the team's last four games and got the scoring started tonight with a perfectly placed shot on a breakaway. He's playing at a level we've yet to see from him this season and it's coming at a perfect time. He also added four takeaways tonight, tied for the team lead. 

First Star- Seth Jarvis (Goal)

In his sophomore campaign, Jarvis has hit plenty of bumps while the others he plays with have neem scoring. After he scored in Columbus, the hope was that it'd be the first of many to come. Unfortunately, the goals haven't been coming. The goal he scored tonight was simply magnificent. Not only did he make a nice move but it came at a huge moment in the game to push the team ahead 3-0. 

What's Next

All that stands in the way of the Hurricanes and the All-Star break is a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. They'll finish this three-game homestand with a visit from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, their final meeting of the season. Raleigh is the sixth and final stop of a road trip the Kings have been on since January 21 in which they're 3-2-0. They split a back-to-back in Florida on Friday and Saturday, beating the Panthers on Friday night before losing to the Lightning. They'll then finish by traveling up to New York to face the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Buffalo will not have played since Saturday night, a 3-2 shootout loss to the Wild.