"Too Much Pasta": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 76: Hurricanes at Boston Bruins

The Canes began their road trip with a subpar effort against the Red Wings last night, meaning they needed to get back to form against a struggling Boston team. With their ongoing ten-game losing streak, the Bruins have fallen to last in the conference as they count down the days in their season. Frederik Andersen assumed control of the net, trying to extend his win streak to eight games while avoiding a back-to-back sweep to start their four-game journey. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

BOS (18:49)- Morgan Geekie (28) (David Pastrnak (53) & Nikita Zadorov (14))

BOS (19:47)- Elias Lindholm (15) (David Pastrnak (54) & Morgan Geekie (19))

2nd Period

BOS (10:14)- David Pastrnak (38) (Elias Lindholm (26))

3rd Period

BOS (1:28)- David Pastrnak (39) (Morgan Geekie (20) & Elias Lindholm (27))

BOS (15:18)- David Pastrnak (40) (Morgan Geekie (21) & Mason Lohrei (27))

CAR (19:05)- Justin Robidas (1) (Scott Morrow (4) & Shayne Gostisbehere (37))

My Thoughts

Every blue moon, we'll see one team have one line that gives the Canes fits and goes off for a huge game. Tonight, that was the line of Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm, and David Pastrnak. The Hurricanes had no answer for the trio, resulting in them doing all of the work for the Bruins offensively. Pastrnak had a hat trick and two assists. Geekie had a goal and four assists after scoring twice in the last meeting in Raleigh. Lindholm had a goal and two assists, falling a little short of his linemates. Their dominance is only amplified by the fact that Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns were on the ice for all five of those goals. Slavin had an especially tough night. It felt like everything that trio did worked, making it a long night for Canes fans.

Along with Boston's top line controlling the game, Jeremy Swayman decided to have an incredible night, too. Everything fell into place for the Bruins' netminder, who stopped 39 shots to help end their ten-game losing streak. He grossly outperformed Frederik Andersen, who lost for the first time in over a month. Andersen allowed the soft goal to Geekie late in the first period, and the rest was history. Pastrnak's first goal to make it 3-0 was the nail after Andersen was caught well out of his net, albeit because Pastrnak waited a century to shoot the puck before finally shooting from a near-impossible angle. Tonight should be more about how well Swayman played than how poorly Andersen played. Swayman has had a rough first season as the primary starter for Boston, who were eliminated from playoff contention despite the win. 

A lot of people were quick to point out how physical Boston was, especially in the first two periods. Nikita Zadorov, who is known for being a battering ram, ran roughshod over the Canes, especially in the second period with a few huge hits. He laid an especially hard hit on Taylor Hall. Zadorov finished the night with 9 hits. Geekie was very physical, too, tying for the forward lead with four hits to go with his five points. Boston had 39 hits as a team, compared to Carolina's 12. Carolina doesn't play a very physical game, so games like this aren't uncommon, but the difference tonight was staggering.

The only silver lining I'm bringing out of this game is Justin Robidas scoring his first NHL goal to break the shutout in the final minute of regulation. After scoring his first point last night with an assist in the second period, Robidas knocked down a puck and buried a shot to Swayman's short side to provide a moment he won't ever forget. It's a shame it came at a meaningless point in a game that will otherwise be forgotten for how bad it was. Still, every time a player scores their first NHL goal, it's a huge deal. Robidas remains a point-per-game player in the NHL through two games, giving us a moment we can hold onto. 

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

New Jersey (7 Points Behind for 2nd)- The Devils outclassed the Rangers at home today, shutting them out 4-0. Timo Meier scored twice and Nico Hischier had three points as the Devils made up a little ground on the Canes with few chances remaining to do so this season.

With the Rangers and the Blue Jackets both losing, along with Montreal's win, the chances of either catching the Devils have become nearly impossible. I'm pretty sure it would take New Jersey two or three more points to secure no worse than third place in the division. Checking in on anyone below New Jersey in the standings has become a fruitless task, so I'll be focusing on just the Devils from now on since they're almost guaranteed to meet once the playoffs begin in a few weeks.

The Road Ahead- The team gets a few days off before returning to action on Tuesday night in Buffalo. They'll make a quick stop in Washington, D.C., to finish their trip on Thursday. The Canes will finish their home schedule next weekend with a back-to-back against the Rangers and the Maple Leafs before their regular season ends with a back-to-back north of the border against Montreal and Ottawa.