In a seemingly must win game, the Carolina Hurricanes fell flat once again in a 3-1 loss to the visiting Boston Bruins.
The Carolina Hurricanes needed a big win on Friday night in Raleigh, but they didn’t get it. They took a tough loss against the Bruins, thus making the next few days leading up to the trade deadline more interesting.
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Scoring Summary
1st Period
BOS Goal (10:26) – Patrice Bergeron (23), assisted by Brett Connolly (15)
The three-time Selke winner put the Bruins on the board first. The Bruins got the puck in deep, and Slavin had trouble handling the puck, which led to a turnover and a great chance for Bergeron in front, and he capitalized.
BOS Goal (12:38) – Matt Beleskey (12), assisted by Torey Krug (26)
The Bruins came right back and increased their lead under two minutes later. Beleskey made a good move around Jordan Staal in the Canes zone, and he was able to loft a wrist shot home past Ward from a tough angle near the left side corner.
2nd Period
No Goals
3rd Period
CAR PPG (3:00) – Noah Hanifin (3), assisted by Riley Nash (9), Victor Rask (23)
The Canes finally broke the scoreboard in the early stages of period three. Noah Hanifin sent a slap shot on net from the point, and it bounced off the end wall, off of Boston’s Kevin Millar, and in the net past Tuukka Rask.
BOS Goal (6:24) – Matt Beleskey (13), assisted by Ryan Spooner (31)
Boston ruined Carolina’s momentum and reclaimed a two goal lead moments after the Canes cut the lead in half. Michal Jordan turned the puck over behind Cam Ward, and it led to a grade-A chance for Beleskey in front, who buried it.
BOS Goal (19:46) – Brad Marchand (32), assisted by Patrice Bergeron (30), Adam McQuaid (7)
The Bruins leading goal scorer launched a puck into the empty net from center ice to finish off the Hurricanes.
Three Stars
1st Star – Tuukka Rask, G (BOS) – 40 shots against, 39 saves, .975 save percentage
2nd Star – Matt Beleskey, LW (BOS) – 2 goals, +3, 3 shots, 14:07 TOI
3rd Star – Noah Hanifin, D (CAR) – 1 goal, -3, 2 shots, 1 hit, 16:57 TOI
Recap
Coming off of a very disappointing loss against the down and out Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes delivered a slightly improved performance against the Bruins, but it wasn’t good enough, and they payed the price en route to a 4-1 loss on home ice.
Friday night’s game was big for the Hurricanes. They were slow and sloppy all night against the Maple Leafs the night before, and they were fortunate to come out with a win on Tuesday against the Flyers in a game that they were also one step behind in.
Carolina Hurricanes
For the third straight outing, the Canes didn’t play the game that has gotten them to where they are. Now the Hurricanes, losers of two consecutive hockey games, remain on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race, and they face another very tough challenge on Sunday afternoon against the playoff bound St. Louis Blues.
Playing without Andrej Nestrasil, Jordan Staal and Joakim Nordstrom really struggled against stiff competition that Boston offers. Staal was on the ice for all four goals against, and Nordstrom was on the ice for three Bruin goals. The absence of their cherished linemate was noticeable with Chris Terry filling in for a majority of the shifts.
Tuukka Rask was excellent in net for the Bruins. When Carolina was able to generate opportunities, particularly in the second half of the game, he was on the ball and kept the club at bay. The Hurricanes had their chances, but Boston’s star goalie was rock solid.
It was a big game for Hurricanes rookie Noah Hanifin, who laced ’em up for the first time against his hometown team. The Boston native netted the third goal, first goal on the powerplay, of his young career.
Carolina’s best forward line was the Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, and Kris Versteeg. They dominated and kept the pressure high on the Boston defense. They were the only consistently dangerous unit up front, despite not being able to find an answer for Rask.
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This week was rough for the Canes. They had an opportunity to leap into a playoff spot by capturing three out of a possible four points over the past two nights. Two points would have them tied with the Penguins in points. Instead, the Hurricanes come out with a goose egg and remain two points out of a playoff spot, and the aforementioned Pens now have four games in hand.
That being said, Carolina’s performance against the Bruins was far better than Thursday against the Maple Leafs and even Tuesday against the Flyers.
The Carolina Hurricanes will have a day to rest on Saturday prior to taking on the Blues on Sunday. It is within the realm of possibility that Sunday’s roster will be very different from Friday’s roster. The NHL Trade Deadline is on Monday.