The Bruins walk into Raleigh on Tuesday night with a chance to turn an early-season measuring stick into a real statement game. Boston and Carolina meet as the two hottest teams in the Eastern Conference by points this early in the 2026-27 season, and that was not exactly the script most people had penciled in before puck drop in October.
Boston arrives at 9-2-1 and riding a points streak that has stretched to eight straight games. Carolina is 9-2-2, fresh off a West Coast road trip, and still carrying the kind of heavyweight reputation that comes with being the King of the East until someone knocks them off in the playoffs. For the Bruins, this is as tough as it gets early in the year.
There is, at least, one bit of lineup relief for Boston. Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin will not make his season debut against the Bruins.
Nikishin, 25, had been out to start the season because of a contract dispute, and there had been some chatter that a trade could materialize before he ultimately signed a one-year, $3 million deal to remain in Carolina. His deal came down just before this matchup, which opened the door for a possible return against Boston.
That door is staying shut for now.
According to Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said Nikishin will likely need a "mini training camp" before he is ready to jump into the lineup after not practicing on Monday. Brind’Amour also took a jab at the process behind the scenes, saying, "These guys hire agents to tell them what to do,'' Brind'Amour said, per Henkel.
"Sometimes it's good advice, sometimes it's not so good. But at the end of the day, it doesn't affect us when we get them in the locker room and those guys are out of it."
Even without Nikishin, Carolina is a serious test. The Bruins have had trouble with the Hurricanes in recent years, and they’ll need their sharpest 60 minutes - maybe more - if they want to leave Raleigh with at least a point.
There is also another familiar face waiting on the Carolina side. Former Bruins forward Taylor Hall is expected to be in the lineup after practicing Monday.
And Boston’s road swing doesn’t stop here. After Tuesday night, the Bruins head to St.
Louis to face former coach Jim Montgomery and the Blues on Thursday night. Two games away from TD Garden, and Tuesday offers the biggest chance yet to make an early-season statement against the defending champs.
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