The Carolina Hurricanes are on the road to Thanksgiving, with five games separating them from the first major holiday of the season. The group put together a good weekend, earning three points in a back-to-back against the Canucks and the Oilers. The Canes came back from a pair of deficits before ultimately falling in overtime on Saturday against Edmonton.
They were fortunate to avoid another big loss with Seth Jarvis able to play on Saturday after exiting Friday's game early with an eye injury. His line was the only one not to find the scoresheet against the Oilers, though the team's depth shone through to get them one point in a hard-fought tilt during the second half of the back-to-back.
On the Other Side: Boston Bruins
Last meeting: The Hurricanes were in Boston 16 days ago, kicking off November with a matinee on November 1st. The sides were scoreless through two periods before the Bruins broke it open with a pair of early goals in the third period. Alexander Nikishin got the Canes on the board late in regulation, but it wasn't enough to get them the win as the Bruins prevailed by a 2-1 final.
The Bruins' victory over the Hurricanes was the third in what would become a seven-game winning streak for the team. While the Bruins might've started slowly, the winning streak helped jump them to the top of the division, where they currently hold a two-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators.
David Pastrnak continues to lead the offense, which ranks second in goals scored, with 26 points, while Morgan Geekie, who was held scoreless by the Canes, had a five-game point streak snapped on Saturday against Montreal. They still are struggling defensively, though Jeremy Swayman is yet to lose in November, winning each of his last five starts with a .923 save percentage.
As the Hurricanes have faced this season, the Bruins are currently facing an injury bug. The group saw Charlie McAvoy exit Saturday's win over Montreal early after catching a puck to the face. Both of their goal scorers from their first encounter with the Canes, Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson, are expected to be out. It also includes Elias Lindholm, who hasn't played in November.
Bruins to Watch
Fraser Minton: Brought to Boston in the Brandon Carlo trade last season, Minton got the last laugh against his former squad last weekend with a goal in Toronto to silence the home crowd late. Minton has already surpassed his point total from last season and needs just one goal to set a new career-high, though, at 21 years old, he only has 45 games under his belt.
Tanner Jeannot: Boston's "biggest" addition of the offseason might've been slightly overpaid, but Jeannot enters Monday's contest with points in three straight games, all coming on assists. Better yet, he has points in four of his last five games, though Jeannot hasn't found the back of the net in over a month now.
Hurricanes to Watch
Logan Stankoven: The transition back to center hasn't been seamless for Stankoven, who is winning under 43 percent of his face-offs this season. However, the second line has been the team's best since Stankoven was given Blake and Ehlers on his wings. While the other two are finding the scoresheet with a little more regularity, Stankoven has been just as valuable.
Andrei Svechnikov: It took him until late October to finally get rolling, but Svechnikov has been almost unstoppable since finally breaking through against Vegas. He now has 10 points in 10 games, including a two-goal, three-point performance on Friday night against Vancouver. He took a costly penalty against Edmonton, so I'm hoping for a better effort tonight in Boston.