By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter / X @RyanJBosworth
The Carolina Hurricanes were in town today, visiting the Boston Bruins in a 1 p.m. Saturday Matinee. The Hurricanes were looking to improve to 8-3-0, while the Bruins were looking to claw themselves back to .500, looking to improve to 7-7-0.
There were some lineup changes, with Marat Khusnutdinov slotting in down the middle in between Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak, as Elias Lindholm was sidelined with a lower-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game.
With Khusnutdinov shifting to the first-line, Johnny Beecher slotted in on the fourth line. Mikey Eyssimont and Mark Kastelic switched spots, as Kastelic was skating alongside Tanner Jeannot and Fraser Minten. Mason Lohrei was also a healthy scratch for the third-straight game, with his spot being filled by Jonathan Aspirot.
First Period
The opening frame resulted in a 0-0 standstill between the two organizations. It took the Bruins a couple of minutes to find their footing, which has been a common trend to start their games recently. There were a few too many turnovers at their own blueline, but Jeremy Swayman stood tall, denying all of Carolina’s chances. The Bruins first shot on goal came at 3:26 of the first.
Things turned around about halfway through the first period, and the Bruins started generating chances and controlling the play. This was a solid frame for Boston, once their offense got going. A couple of breakaway chances for Mark Kastelic and David Pastrnak, but Andersen stood tall.
Kastelic had a very strong period on the third line, contributing three shots on goal, four scoring chances, and two rebound attempts. His third line, with Tanner Jeannot and Fraser Minten, had five shots on goal and four high-danger chances. Jeremy Swayman faced three high-danger chances and shut all three down.
Second Period
A largely-uneventful second frame between the Bruins and Hurricanes resulted in the same 0-0 score that we saw at the conclusion of the first frame. Somewhat back-and-forth, the Hurricanes had the edge in shots, 10-4, and certainly held the momentum for a long stretch of the period.
The Bruins showed some life at the end of the period and held consistent pressure for the last 90 seconds. They were unsuccessful in getting anything passed Andersen, but it’s good momentum to have heading into the third frame of the day.
The Bruins saw one power play opportunity in the second, but were unsuccessful in capitalizing on the opportunity. Mark Kastelic had another strong period, as do his linemates Tanner Jeannot and Fraser Minten. Through the two frames, the third line leads the Bruins with seven scoring chances and five high-danger chances. Kastelic and Pastrnak lead with four shots-on-goal a piece, and Kastelic and Arvidsson lead with four scoring chances.
Third Period
The Bruins were noticeably carrying the momentum gained at the end of the second period into the start of the third, as the deadlock was finally broken by Casey Mittelstadt at 1:27 of the third, putting the Bruins up 1-0. The tap-in goal was off a feed from Charlie McAvoy, who jumped up into the play for a 3-on-2 that quickly turned into a 2-on-1.
Boston was now carrying all the momentum, and with Carolina on its heals, Viktor Arvidsson joined in the scoring at 5:05 of the third period, putting the Bruins up 2-0. Mittelstadt sent Arvidsson up ice on a breakaway, and Arvidsson was able to put one passed Andersen blocker-side high. At the start of the play, though, McAvoy broke up a push from Carolina, Mittelstadt was able to retrieve and send Arvidsson running up ice. The assists on Arvidsson’s goal were McAvoy’s and Mittelstadt’s second of the night.
The Bruins would carry the 2-goal lead for a majority of the third, bringing a much more physical element to the ice, with several Bruins players laying big hits, but doing so while maintaining composure. Swayman was steady, having been perfect through 57 minutes of the game. At 17:11 of the third period, Alexander Nikishin puts one passed Swayman from the point, and Carolina was now within striking distance with just over two minutes to play.
Andersen was on the bench, and the Bruins were facing a 6-on-5 push from the Hurricanes. Despite some chances from Carolina, Boston is able to survive the late push and best the Hurricanes 2-1 on home ice, closing out the three-game homestand with a 3-0-0 record, and getting themselves back to .500, with a 7-7-0 record.
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