"These Are the Breaks": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 63: Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins

With the trade deadline on the horizon, the Hurricanes had a job to do against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Rumors have continued circulating around Mikko Rantanen and whether he'll still be a Hurricane once the deadline passes at 3 pm on Friday. Before they could worry about that, two valuable points were in the balance for both teams. With Boston's roster depleted by injuries, the Bruins sought a big upset as they challenge the rest of the Eastern Conference in the Wild Card race.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (6:29)- Sebastian Aho (24) SH (unassisted)

BOS (18:55)- Morgan Geekie (21) (Pavel Zacha (27) & Andrew Peeke (13))

2nd Period

CAR (2:06)- Brent Burns (5) (Jesperi Kotkaniemi (17) & Taylor Hall (17))

3rd Period

BOS (1:14)- Morgan Geekie (22) (David Pastrnak (46) & Andrew Peeke (14))

CAR (19:41)- Seth Jarvis (24) (unassisted)

My Thoughts

Let's call a spade a spade. This was not a very good game for the Carolina Hurricanes. They were a step behind the Bruins for long stretches of the game. According to Moneypuck's "Deserve to Win O'Meter, the Bruins win this game 54% of the time. At the end of the day, a win is a win and these were a massive two points earned. The Canes played with five defensemen almost all night after Riley Stillman, who was a replacement for Dmitry Orlov after he tweaked something during warm-ups, took a skate to the face early in the first period. The group had to adjust, but it wasn't a pretty game by any stretch. Boston outshot Carolina 34-23, which is almost unheard of in the Rod Brind'Amour era. Still, the scoreboard reflected a Hurricanes victory, so you move on and get better before Sunday's game.

We can nitpick every small thing the Canes did poorly tonight, but you can't deny that they created their luck. Sebastian Aho might've forced Mason Lohrei to make a bad drop pass before he poked the puck away from David Pastrnak and scored short-handed to open the scoring. Brent Burns was just throwing a puck at the net and it happened to hit a Boston stick. Seth Jarvis provided good pressure before Nikita Zadorov's stick exploded, resulting in the game-winner. Even on the Taylor Hall goal that was taken off the board after a successful challenge, the entire line was buzzing before Hall's shot hit a defender in front of the net and slipped over the line. Sometimes, it takes a bit of luck to win games. 

The bounces were timely, though the real reason for the win was Pyotr Kochetkov's performance between the pipes. He wasn't given a ton of help from the group in front of him for long stretches, forcing him to be the best player on the ice tonight. He did an especially good job of keeping David Pastrnak quiet. With all of Boston's injuries, Pastrnak stepped up, along with Morgan Geekie, who had both Boston goals. Arguably, the biggest save of the night was Kochetkov's stop on Pastrnak's breakaway early in the second period. Right after it, Burns scored his goal. Kochetkov's 32 stops were all consequential in helping his team get the victory. 

Friday is going to be a big day for the Carolina Hurricanes, with the trade deadline quickly approaching. All eyes will be on Mikko Rantanen and whether the team opts to trade him. Honestly, it's a coin flip at this moment. He isn't signing an extension before the deadline, leading many to speculate he could be moved again. Elsewhere, the team could look to add some center depth and possibly another defenseman. Once the Rantanen situation is resolved, the Canes' plans might become clearer. Right now, that's the biggest question hanging over the fan base. 

When We Meet Again- The Hurricanes will conclude their season series with Boston in a little less than a month, traveling to Beantown on April 5th. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Pyotr Kochetkov

I don't think there's much debating this one. Pyotr Kochetkov did just about everything the Canes could've asked of him to lead them to victory. He has tied his career-high in wins with his 23rd of the season. I won't belabor the point too much. Kochetkov was the best player on the ice tonight by a wide margin.

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

Washington (10 Points Ahead for 1st)- Alex Ovechkin scored again to tie the game in the third period before Tom Wilson scored in overtime to beat the Rangers on Wednesday. Washington will play twice this weekend, hosting Detroit on Friday and Seattle on Sunday.

New Jersey (6 Points Behind for 2nd)- The big news out of New Jersey is the season-ending injury to Jack Hughes after his awkward collision into the boards on Sunday. The Devils haven't played since Tuesday but will also play on Friday and Sunday this weekend.

Columbus (10 Points Behind for 2nd, Current WC1)- The Blue Jackets were on the wrong side of a 3-0 shutout loss to the Florida Panthers tonight. They maintain their spot as the first Wild Card, though Ottawa and New York are only one point back.

New York (R) (11 Points Behind for 2nd)- The Rangers were very busy on deadline eve, dealing Reilly Smith to Vegas and acquiring Carson Soucy from Vancouver. They're set for a weekend back-to-back with Ottawa on Saturday and Columbus on Sunday.

The Road Ahead- The Winnipeg Jets will be the next team to visit Raleigh during this four-game homestand, hitting the ice on Sunday at the Lenovo Center. The Bolts and the Red Wings will be the final two visitors before the Canes head to the City of Brotherly Love to challenge the Flyers to complete a back-to-back.