The Bruins’ point streak is over after a tight, frustrating 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night at Lenovo Center.
Boston dropped to 9-3-1 with its first regulation defeat since October 5, while Carolina improved to 10-2-2. Pavel Zacha scored the Bruins’ only goal, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 of 30 shots in the loss.
Boston got off to the kind of start you draw up on the whiteboard and hope actually shows up on the ice. Just 61 seconds in, JJ Peterka drew a slashing call on Andrei Svechnikov, and the top power play unit wasted no time. After Elias Lindholm won the faceoff over Mark Jankowski, the Bruins controlled the puck, David Pastrnak worked it from behind the goal line to Lindholm, and Lindholm found Zacha outside the crease for the opening goal at 1:31.
The first period then turned into a series of swings. Tanner Jeannot went off for hooking Shayne Gostisbehere before the 7:00 mark, and while the Hurricanes managed three shots through to Swayman, Marat Khusnutdinov did a little bit of everything in front of him - handing his stick to Will Borgen, blocking a Juuso Valimaki shot, and clearing the puck out of danger.
A few minutes later, Jeannot and Nic Deslauriers settled things the old-fashioned way. They had fought before, including a bout in February when Deslauriers was with the Flyers. This one featured heavy punches from both sides, but no takedown.
Carolina answered late in the period. Jackson Blake, already in the box twice in the opening 20 minutes, tied it with 52 seconds left when Nikolaj Ehlers jumped on a Frederic Brunet turnover and set Blake up in front. Blake drove in and beat a sprawled-out Swayman to make it 1-1.
The Bruins had to navigate some injury-related scares before the second intermission. Matt Poitras headed to the bench in discomfort after blocking a shot, and play stopped after Charlie McAvoy took a high stick from Hampus Lindholm and went down. Both returned after a few minutes, just as Pavel Zacha had earlier in the period.
The second period belonged to Carolina in terms of pressure, even if the scoreboard didn’t move. No team scored, and all three penalties went against the Bruins. The last two came in the final minute, when Nikita Zadorov and Hampus Lindholm each took tripping minors and left the Hurricanes with a lengthy 5-on-3 to begin the third.
Boston’s offense nearly disappeared in the middle frame. The Bruins mustered only two shots on goal in the period, with their last coming at 12:19. Mark Kastelic’s shot at 11:40 of the third came 20:39 later.
Still, the Bruins killed off the penalties, including 1:36 of 5-on-3 time to open the third period, and kept it tied long enough to give themselves a chance.
That chance slipped away midway through the final frame. Carolina broke the deadlock on a 3-on-2 rush when Andrei Svechnikov sent the puck across the ice. William Carrier got a stick on it, nudging it past Mason Lohrei, and Sebastian Aho jumped on the loose puck and beat Swayman with a backhand.
Boston had two late power plays and couldn’t cash in. Jordan Martinook went off with 4:41 remaining, then Sebastian Aho tripped Charlie McAvoy with 2:27 left, but the Bruins couldn’t find the equalizer.
The road trip rolls on quickly. The Bruins are off Wednesday, then return to the ice Thursday morning for a skate before finishing their two-game trip that night against the St. Louis Blues.
In Other News...
Bruins Top-Six Problems Are Putting Pastrnak At A Real Crossroads
Bostons latest look at its top six only sharpened the concern around David Pastrnaks current fit. Against Carolina, the line with JJ Peterka and Pavel Zacha never found any rhythm, and the underlying numbers were as bleak as the eye test suggested. The group spent too much time defending, too little time threatening, and for a team already searching for answers up front, that is the sort of combination that can force a coach to start shuffling pieces again.
One path back to stability is sitting right there in the recent history of the lineup, where Pastrnak had more traction alongside Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten. The Bruins also have Morgan Geekie in the mix as another forward whose own struggles add to the pressure on the top-six configuration. With the offense still trying to find a cleaner structure, the question is whether Boston decides to keep pushing this version of Pastrnaks line or goes back to a combination that already showed it can work. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Face A Pavel Zacha Dilemma They Can't Ignore
Pavel Zachas next contract has become one of those quiet Bruins storylines that could wind up mattering a great deal. Chris Johnston reported that Boston and Zacha do not see the financial picture the same way, which puts the organization in a familiar spot: valuing a useful top-six forward while trying to keep its books pointed in the right direction.
For the Bruins, the tension is less about what Zacha has become than what they are willing to pay to keep him in that role. Johnstons reporting suggests the club has its own line in mind, and the gap with the players side is enough to make this more than routine negotiation. If Boston wants to avoid letting a stable piece of its forward group become a bigger offseason question, this is the kind of discussion that will need clarity sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Enter A New Ownership Chapter With A Different Voice Up Top
The Bruins are opening a new chapter at the top of the organization, with the club announcing a change in its leadership structure on the ownership side. For a franchise that has spent decades under the Jacobs family, it is a notable shift, even if the hockey operations portion of the operation remains unchanged on the surface. Charlie Jacobs has been a familiar presence around the team for years, which makes this less of a sudden surprise than a long-anticipated transition.
What matters now is how that new voice shapes the next phase for a team that has already spent this season trying to define itself on and off the ice. Boston has dealt with its share of roster questions, but this kind of move lands differently because it affects the people steering the ship rather than the players skating on the ice. For Bruins fans, the bigger question is not the title change itself, but how the clubs direction evolves once the handoff is complete. [Read more 🡒]