Carolina Hurricanes (17-15-7) vs Boston Bruins (21-17-4)
The Carolina Hurricanes take on the Boston Bruins tonight at PNC Arena. In their third matchup of the season, the cross-divisional rivals will clash in a tightly fought battle. The previous two games have gone to a shootout and overtime with the series being split. I expect a close game where one goal will be the difference.
The Hurricanes are currently stuck in a rut; not being able to gain traction in a positive direction, but also not losing ground in the standings. After a poor start, the Canes had a stretch of dominating hockey that thrust them up the standings. Recently, though, they have cooled off and are playing slightly better than .500 hockey over the past 10 games. If the Hurricanes want to make the playoffs, they will need to win games against conference opponents and put together a long stretch of wins.
Game Day By the Numbers
Hurricanes  | Bruins  | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 17-15-7 | 21-17-4 |
| Last Result | 2-1 L @ CHI | 4-0 W @ FLA |
| Last 10 | 5-4-1 | 5-4-1 |
| FO% | 51.2% | 50.9% |
| ES CF% | 51.94% | 55.42% |
| GF/GP | 2.51 | 2.38 |
| PP% (Goals) | 18.3% (21) | 14.6% (19) |
| SH% (Goals) | 87.9% (5) | 87.9% (3) |
Who’s Hot
Cam Ward continues to hold the Hurricanes above water. He is playing a calm, quiet game that allows the players in front of him to play with confidence. Ward has played 33 of the Canes 39 games and except for a couple of lackluster starts, he puts on a solid performance nightly and gives this team a chance to win. Our editor Matthew Barlowe discussed Ward’s playing time this season and whether he should start being rested. The feeling in the organization seems to be that the Canes should ride him while he’s hot, though, so we will see how that works out for the Canes.
Who’s Not
The Hurricanes special teams have cooled off drastically. The penalty kill was working at a rate of ~92% through most of the first half, but they are now down to 87.9% and are struggling to kill off penalties. The Canes penalty kill is still tied with Boston for first place, but if the Canes want to continue to be successful, the penalty kill needs to get back to shutting down opponents.
The power play struggles are even more disparaging. Matthew Barlowe dives into what’s wrong with the power play and how to fix it. The sign of a good team is that they are able to take advantage when up a man. If you cannot convert power-play opportunities in the NHL, you will not succeed. The Hurricanes are a dismal 1-for-24 on the power play recently, and that needs to change.
Storylines
Elias Lindholm skated with the team yesterday, wearing the yellow injured jersey. He is nearing a return but is still not likely to play tonight against Boston.
Rumors are starting to swirl that the Hurricanes are in talks with Colorado about either Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog. There are surely other teams showing interest, so there won’t be anything other than rumors for the time being, however, general manager Ron Francis could be poised to make a move.
Hearing rumor that our dreams are at least a remote possibility. Who knows the price but a source says Carolina has spoken to Colorado re:MD
— Section 328 (@Section_328) January 7, 2017
Lineup
| Hurricanes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Forwards | ||
| Skinner | Rask | Ryan |
| Nordstrom | Staal | Lindholm |
| Aho | Teravainen | Stempniak |
| McGinn | McClement | Stalberg |
| Defense | ||
| Slavin/Pesce | ||
| Faulk/Hainsey | ||
| Hanifin/Tennyson | ||
| Goalies | ||
| Ward | ||
| Leighton |
How To Watch
PNC Arena: Puck Drop at 5:00 pm ET
Watch: Fox Sports Carolinas / Fox Sports Go app
Listen: 99.9 FM The Fan / WRALsportsfan.com