2023-24 Regular Season, Game 79: Hurricanes at Boston Bruins (Pregame)

The Carolina Hurricanes played their final home game of the regular season on Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. After a big comeback win on Friday, the Canes were looking for a little bit of an easier night against the worst team in the conference. Andrei Svechnikov set the tone by scoring 17 seconds into the game against Malcolm Subban. Sebastian Aho added to the lead on the power play when Jake Guentzel set him up for a one-timer to make it 2-0. Along with some staunch defense, Frederik Andersen did his part to keep the Blue Jackets at bay. Teuvo Teravainen provided the insurance marker late in the third period, and Andersen finished the night with 23 stops to record his third shutout since returning in a 3-0 victory. The Canes finished the season 27-10-4 at home, posting one of the best home records in the league.

The Opponent: Boston Bruins (46-17-15- 107 Points, 1st in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting- It was only five days ago that the Bruins were in Raleigh for their only visit to PNC Arena this season. Boston jumped on the Canes early after they'd been off for four days. Brad Marchand buried a breakaway just over two minutes into the game to get it going. Then, David Pastrnak made the Canes pay for poor defense by elevating a shot over Frederik Andersen's shoulder to double the lead. While he's a great scorer, Pastrnak is a very good passer, too. After fanning on a shot, Pastrnak found Danton Heinen for an easy goal to make it 3-0 less than 11 minutes into the game. Jeremy Swayman wasn't giving the Canes anything, but Jake Guentzel managed to get one in during a 5-on-3 late in the second period to break the shutout. That's all the Canes would get, as Hampus Lindholm scored into the empty net to ice it for good in a 4-1 win for the Bruins.

Since We Last Met- While the Canes have played twice since hosting the Bruins, Boston has only played once, hosting the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon. With the Bruins and Panthers locked into a tight battle for the Atlantic Division, Boston emerged victorious. The two sides traded goals in the first period before Charlie Coyle scored on the power play to put Boston ahead. Aleksander Barkov tied the game early in the third period, and neither side would break the tie before the final horn for the final frame, forcing overtime in Beantown. Jesper Boqvist would be the hero of overtime, scoring on a breakaway just over two minutes in to earn Boston the second point. The Bruins now hold a five-point lead over the Panthers, with a chance to possibly clinch the division with a win and a Florida regulation loss.

Stories/Keys of the Game
1. The Last Big Test
While the Hurricanes have four games left in the season, all of which come on the road, this is their final game against a team in the playoff picture. The Canes will be in St. Louis, Chicago, and Columbus on this trip, meaning they'll be playing three teams with nothing to lose and everything to gain. For the Canes, they'll be able to gauge their readiness for the playoffs against one of the league's most consistent teams. They're on a four-game win streak, while the Canes are 7-2-1 in their last ten. I'm putting more stock into this game than I am in any of the Canes' remaining games. To me, this is the only one that matters. 

2. The Rubber Match
Along with being the last game against a playoff team, this game will determine the winner of the season series between the Canes and Bruins. The road team has won both games thus far, with the Canes getting the win in Beantown in late January before Boston's win in Raleigh on Thursday. This isn't going to matter much in the grand scheme of the season, but bragging rights are momentum are equally as important. For the Canes, it could be even bigger since they haven't been as consistent against top-tier teams.

3. Boston's Quest for the President's Trophy
The President's Trophy looks like it is going to come down to the Rangers, Stars, and Bruins. The Rangers are three points ahead of Dallas and Boston, but all three could get the job done. It feels like it's New York's to lose, but the Bruins don't have too tough of a schedule remaining. After playing Carolina tonight, the Bruins have a pair on the road against Washington and Pittsburgh before finishing the season at home against Ottawa. New York gets the benefit of playing their last three games at home, and the Rangers are very good at Madison Square Garden. It's important for the seeding in the conference, too. Whoever finishes second is likely to get either Tampa Bay or Toronto, should they fall out of third place. 

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