Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Game Preview and Lineups
By Brett Finger
Information
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins
Start Time: 5:00 pm (ET)
Location: PNC Arena (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Local TV/Radio: Fox Sports Carolinas/99.9 FM The Fan
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Forwards
Eric Staal – Jordan Staal – Nathan Gerbe
Jeff Skinner – Victor Rask – Elias Lindholm
Chris Terry – Riley Nash – Andrej Nestrasil
Patrick Dwyer – Jay McClement – Brad Malone
Defense
John-Michael Liles – Danny Biega
Goalies
Injuries and Scratches: Jack Hillen (Concussion), Rasmus Rissanen (Lower-Body), Alexander Semin (Hamstring), Brett Bellemore (Healthy)
Boston Bruins Projected Lineup
Forwards
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Krejci
Milan Lucic – Ryan Spooner – David Pastrnak
Loui Eriksson – Carl Soderberg – Reilly Smith
Chris Kelly – Gregory Campbell – Maxime Talbot
Defense
Torey Krug – Dennis Seidenberg
Matt Bartkowski – Zach Trotman
Goalies
Injuries and Scratches: Marc Savard (LTIR/Concussion), Dougie Hamilton (Undisclosed Injury), Brett Connolly (Finger), Kevan Miller (Shoulder), Daniel Paille (Face)
Preview
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to finish off their successful 5-game homestand with a win on Sunday night against the playoff-hunting Boston Bruins.
The Canes are winners of two straight games, with wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils. The team lost their first game of the homestand 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers, followed by a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks two days later.
Hurricanes captain Eric Staal has been on fire as of late. He has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in his last 3 games, including a three-point effort in Thursday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. His recent point streak has put him first on the team in points, surpassing Justin Faulk for that spot. He looks to extend his point-streak to four game tonight.
Justin Faulk has points in two straight game entering Sunday’s action. He is a +3 over his past two contests. He has average 24:39 of ice time over the team’s current win streak.
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward has been in elite form over his last three starts. He has allowed just 4 goals, and only 2 at even strength, and has had a save percentage of under .950 just once in those games. The one time it went under .950 was when he allowed 2 goals on 29 shots against the Penguins. His save percentage was .931 in that game.
The starter for tonight’s game has yet to be announced. But in a back-to-back set, Anton Khudobin may find his way back in net for the Canes, despite Cam Ward’s high-end play in net.
The Boston Bruins currently hold the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They sit just one point higher than the 9th place Ottawa Senators who have a game in hand on the Bruins. Every single game for the Bruins through the rest of the season will be crucially important for the team.
Dougie Hamilton, the Bruins’ leader in defensive scoring, may not go tonight due to an undisclosed injury. He has 42 points in 72 games this season.
Patrice Bergeron leads the team in points out in Boston, and he does so much more than just score. He will be on the ice a lot for Boston as he plays on their first line, centers their top powerplay unit, and kills penalties at a high rate. He has 21 goals and 32 assists this season.
Tuuka Rask will likely get the net tonight for Boston. He has had a below-average season for his standards, posting a goals against average of 2.33 and save percentage of .922 with a record of 30-19-12.
The Bruins and Canes have split their 2-1 decisions this season with Boston picking up a win on November 15 and Carolina getting a win on January 4. The home team has won both times.
Next: Canes Ink Top Goalie Prospect Alex Nedeljkovic to an ELC
*NOTE: All lineup and injury information courtesy of leftwinglock.com and rotoworld.com*