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(Photo Credit: Entercom Radio, LLC)

By: Garrett Haydon | Follow Me On Twitter @thesportsguy97

Pre-Game Notes:

Arena: PNC Arena – Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Home: Carolina Hurricanes (6-4-1)

Away: Boston Bruins (6-3-2)

Carolina’s Lineup

Forwards

Ferland-Aho-Teravainen

Foegle-Staal-Willams

Martinook-Wallmark-Svechnikov

McGinn-Roy-Zykov

Defense

Slavin-Hamilton

De Haan-Faulk

van Riemsdyk-Pesce

Goalies

Darling

Mrazek

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak

Heinen-Krejci-DeBrusk

Donato-Nordstrom-Bjork

Wagner-Kuraly-Acciari

Defense

Chara-Carlo

Krug-Moore

Lauzon-Kampfer

Goalies

Halak

Rask

First Period

The Bruins went to the power play in the first minute of the game but were unable to convert as they failed to get any great scoring chances. The early part of the game lacked many scoring chances as both teams looked a bit slow. As the period went on, the Hurricanes began to get a few chances but Jaroslav Halak and the Bruins defense seemed up to the task.

The quiet first period continued as it looked dead at times in the arena as neither team was able to find an offensive rhythm. Torey Krug looked back to normal in his season debut as he showed almost no rust in his first few shifts. With 2:14 to go in the period, Jeremy Lauzon took a tripping penalty as the Bruins went to the penalty kill for the first time in the game. Just eight seconds into the power play, Michael Ferland stuffed home a loose puck after a mad scramble in front to give the Hurricanes the lead.

The Bruins went back to the penalty kill as Brandon Carlo took a slashing call as the Hurricanes looked to extend their lead. The period ended with the Hurricanes still on the power play.

Score: 1-0 Hurricanes

Second Period

The Bruins killed off the penalty to Carlo and shortly after, Brad Marchand was slashed driving to the net, resulting in another power play for Boston. Halak made two huge saves on the power play including a breakaway as the Bruins seemed completely out of sorts on the man advantage. Later on in the period Marchand would go to the box for a slash as the Hurricanes would get another opportunity on the power play.

The Bruins would kill off the penalty as Sean Kuraly got a shorthanded scoring chance off a nice pass from Noel Acciari but was denied by Scott Darling. The physical play started to pick up in the middle stages of the period as both teams looked frustrated with the lack of scoring chances. The Bruins seemingly tied the game after a deflection off the official but it was called back.

The Bruins would get a power play after Justin Williams took a high sticking penalty midway through the period. The Bruins finally ended their 106 minute scoring drought as David Pastrnak scored from a bad angle to tie the game at one.

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The Hurricanes began to tilt the ice as they brought more and more pressure to the Boston end. Halak came up huge with a few important saves to keep the game tied. Late in the period, John Moore went to the penalty box for delay of game as the Hurricanes tried to retake the lead. Right off a draw, Dougie Hamilton ripped a shot past Halak to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead with just over a minute to go in the period.

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Looking for a tying goal, Danton Heinen was dragged down, resulting in a penalty as the Bruins looked to score another power play marker. After a spectacular back check by Patrice Bergeron, Marchand buried a shot on the short side of Darling to tie the game yet again.

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During the scoring play, the Hurricanes were called for too many men as the Bruins would go on another power play. The period ended with over a minute and a half on the power play.

Score: Tied 2-2

Third Period

The Bruins were unable to take the lead as the Hurricanes killed off the remainder of the penalty. A few good saves from both Halak and Darling kept the game tied in the early stages of the final period. On an incredible individual effort, Marchand gave the Bruins the lead as he scored his second goal of the night with 14:37 to play in the game.

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The Bruins seemed to push hard for another goal, trying to pad their lead as they played with more urgency than they had at any point in the game. The Hurricanes wouldn’t go away as they continued to pepper Halak with shots from everywhere. The pace of the game started to pick up as the period went on as both teams seemed desperate for points.

A long stretch of continuous play didn’t result in any more scoring but both teams seemed to find their game late in the period. The Hurricanes turned up the pressure in the final few minutes, looking for a tying goal. Darling went to the bench with a little over two minutes left in the game.

Final Score: 3-2 Bruins

Three Stars of the Game

Third Star: Halak. The Bruin goalie was outstanding in Raleigh, saving 42 of 44 shots. His hot start to the season has been one of the best stories of this Bruins team.

Second Star: Bergeron. Totaling three assists, Bergeron was his usual self as he was great in all three areas of the ice and was a big part of the Bruins strong third period.

First Star: Marchand. Number 63 put the team on his back in the second and third periods, playing arguably his best game of the season.