The Boston Bruins are in a weird place this year where people aren’t sure if they are rebuilding or if they are trying to contend for the playoffs. They have talent in goal and one of the game’s best players
in David Pastrnak but beyond that they are breaking in a new coach and more than a few new players. It’s resulted in a bumpy start for the season, but that bumpy start was on the upswing as they shut down a wounded Hurricanes team on Saturday in TD Garden.
The game was 0-0 all the way into the third period. Both teams held firm through the first with great goaltending play, and the majority of the game was played at five on five as there was only one penalty was called on each side all afternoon. Boston actually outshot the Canes 11-9 in the first period, and then that flipped 9-6 in the second.
It wasn’t a boring contest, though, as the Canes missing half of their defensive starters still stood tall, and Alexander Nikishin made sure that the Bruins were awake for the earlier start.
Despite this the Canes couldn’t really establish any rhythm offensively as the Bruins mostly clogged the zones to wait for a mistake. For most of the game, Freddie Andersen was able to backstop those mistakes but the Canes’ luck ran out in the third. First off, Casey Mittelstadt started a rush into the zone that quickly turned into a 2-on-1. He poked a pass to Charlie McAvoy who was able to get it back to Mittelstadt and Mittelstadt poked it past Andersen to get the game to 1-0.
Then as if they put some pressure on themselves to try and answer, Boston was again able to capitalize off a mistake and score past Andersen. Charlie McAvoy factored in on this play as well, as the fellow Team USAer seemed to thrive without Jaccob Slavin on the ice. Viktor Arvidsson leaked out of the zone as the whole Canes team had collpased toward Swayman, and took a feed from Mittelstadt from the McAvoy block, skated in all alone on Andersen and gave the Bruins a 2-0 cushion.
The B’s would lock down from there and it would take an extra skater on the ice to finally break through Swayman. On a delayed penalty call, the star of the game for the Canes Nikishin blasted a shot by the Bruins goalie to break the shut out with over two minutes left and give the Canes a chance to draw even.
Carolina was able to take that momentum and get some pressure at the end of the game, however Boston and Swayman held firm. The final siren sounded and the Canes dropped this game 2-1, despite outshooting the B’s 11-5 in the third and 29-22 overall.
After a rough ankle injury on Thursday, Seth Jarvis was a gametime decision Saturday. He ended up playing, meaning the Canes didn’t have to play the awkward 11-7 they would have otherwise. The Hurricnes though were still without Jaccob Slavin, K’Andre Miller, and Shayne Gostisbehere on the blue line, and the jumbled blue line showed as the game wore on. Having to use Nikishin on Pastrnak opened up opportunities for other players, and Boston was able to take advantage.
The Canes will come home for a couple of days and then head off to New York for their first meeting against the Rangers Tuesday Night before returning to Raleigh Thursday against the Wild.
