"Hard Hats in Beantown": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 19: Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins

While the Bruins enter the game without some of their top forwards and their top defenseman, the Hurricanes will still have plenty to contend with tonight in Beantown. As long as David Pastrnak is still playing, the Bruins will have a chance to win games. That being said, there are several impact players out tonight. Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson, who scored Boston's goals on November 1st, are out. Charlie McAvoy, who set up both goals, is out. Elias Lindholm, who is yet to play in November, is out. That's four major losses. The Canes are looking better, health-wise, though nothing has changed for them as their two best defensive defensemen remain on the shelf. Coming off a successful weekend, the Canes aim for a good start to their week-long road trip on the first stop of four. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

None

2nd Period

CAR (8:25)- Jordan Staal (5) (Joel Nystrom (2) & William Carrier (4))

CAR (13:34)- Mark Jankowski (1) (Taylor Hall (7) & Sean Walker (3))

3rd Period

CAR (17:27)- Taylor Hall (5) (Joel Nystrom (3))

BOS (19:50-PP)- Riley Tufte (1) (Mikey Eyssimont (4) & Henri Jokiharju (6))

My Thoughts

Without a doubt, the Carolina Hurricanes were the better team tonight, and it's because they earned every inch of what they took from the Boston Bruins. All three Carolina goals were scored just feet from the net. Jordan Staal got the scoring started with an incredible effort to the puck with just one hand on his stick midway through the second. Mark Jankowski doubled it with a second effort in front of the net. Taylor Hall's shot hit Jankowski, but it fell perfectly at his feet as he was a second quicker than Jeremy Swayman. Hall scored the only transition goal of the night, and it was an incredible individual effort from the former Bruin. He played the puck to himself to get it around the netminder's pad, providing the dagger. The Canes worked hard to earn their bounces and earned a clean road victory.

We live in a results-based world, so we can't say that Pyotr Kochetkov had a shutout because one shot got past him with 9.6 seconds left. In my heart, the team got it over the finish line without giving up a goal. It's not what really happened, but that would've been a perfect end to an excellent start for Kochetkov. He was locked in from the very start, and there weren't many frantic moments in his game tonight. That's not to say there weren't any, but those moments didn't cost him. Kochetkov had a great puck-handling night, with only one tiny mishap. He didn't hold onto his stick all night, though we'd expect nothing less from him. He has been locked in since returning from injury, improving to 4-0-0 early in the season.

Along with a two-point night for Hall, Joel Nystrom recorded the first multi-point night of his career with a pair of primary assists. He was responsible for the opening goal, throwing a shot at the net that Staal eventually popped home. Then, after taking a hit, Nystrom recovered to get the puck up the ice for Hall to work around the defense and finish. Along with his two assists, Nystrom set a new season-high by playing his first 20-minute game in the NHL, clocking in at 20:01. Only K'Andre Miller played more tonight at 21:48. His night also included a team-high 4:17 of short-handed time. He keeps impressing with each game he plays.

Like with the Oilers on Saturday, David Pastrnak is the type of player who can take over a game. Just look at the performance he had late last season against the Canes in Boston. In two meetings this season, Pastrnak has yet to find the scoresheet. Tonight, he was especially quiet, finishing with just one shot and one block. He was inches away from potentially having a different night, whiffing on an attempted interception as Shayne Gostisbehere kept the puck in and passed it to Sean Walker before Jankowski made it 2-0. Had Pastrnak intercepted it, he's likely gone on a 2-on-0 with Morgan Geekie, who also hasn't recorded a point against his former team. With only one meeting left at the end of the season, it's not something the Hurricanes will have to deal with until April.

First Star of the Game: Taylor Hall

It's nice to see former players get revenge on their old teams when it isn't happening to the Hurricanes. The fourth line had its hands all over this game, with Taylor Hall providing points on both of the line's goals. His goal in the third period has been all over the internet since the gam ended, as it should be. It was an excellent individual effort to get open and outwait the netminder. He played a great game, showing out in a building he once called home. 

Next Up: The next stop of the road trip takes the Hurricanes to the State of Hockey, facing the Minnesota Wild for the second time this month. Their first encounter was a wild one, pun intended, with seven goals in the first 21 minutes before a defensive shutdown in a 4-3 Canes win. After that, the Canes head to Winnipeg, giving Nikolaj Ehlers a chance to face his former team for the first time.