The Boston Bruins got the first punch in Tuesday night’s showdown, but the Carolina Hurricanes had the last one.
Boston dropped a 2-1 decision to Carolina in a battle between the NHL’s two best records, with the Hurricanes improving to 10-2-2 and the Bruins falling to 9-3-1.
The Bruins needed only 91 seconds to strike. After JJ Peterka drew a slashing penalty against Andrei Svechnikov, Boston’s power play went to work.
Elias Lindholm won the draw to help keep the zone alive, Morgan Geekie fired the first look on net, and after Sean Walker got a piece of it, Lindholm gathered the loose puck and worked it around to Pavel Zacha. Zacha sent it to David Pastrnak, who found Lindholm out front before Lindholm slid the puck to the far post for Zacha to finish into an open net.
That 1-0 lead held until the final minute of the opening period, when Carolina answered through Jackson Blake. Nikolaj Ehlers created the chance by forcing a Frederic Brunet turnover behind the net, then found Blake to the right of Jeremy Swayman. Blake battled across the crease, kept the puck with him, and eventually tucked in his third goal of the season.
Carolina took control over the next stretch, hemming Boston in and limiting the Bruins to just two shots in the second period. The Hurricanes also had a long look on special teams, as Boston took three penalties in the frame, including two in the closing minutes that handed Carolina 90 seconds of five-on-three time. Boston’s penalty kill held firm and kept the game tied.
Boston nearly regained the lead midway through the third when Matthew Poitras slipped free in front of Pyotr Kochetkov. He had a wide-open net staring back at him, but his backhanded shot rang off the post.
That miss turned costly. On the next sequence, William Carrier pushed the puck up ice and slid it to Andrei Svechnikov on his right. Svechnikov then found Sebastian Aho at the far post, and the 20-year-old center had all the time he needed to bury the go-ahead goal for a 2-1 Carolina lead.
The Bruins got two late chances to tie it when Jordan Martinook and Sebastian Aho were each sent off for minors in the final five minutes. But Boston couldn’t get set in the offensive zone, mustering only four shots on goal across four minutes of power play time as Carolina closed the door.
The Hurricanes finished with twice as many shots as Boston. Swayman stopped 28 of 30 for the Bruins, while Kochetkov turned aside 14 of 15 and faced just nine shots over the first 40 minutes.
Boston now heads to St. Louis, Mo., for a Thursday night meeting with the St.
Louis Blues. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.
ET on NESN.
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 Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away After Early Lead
The Bruins had enough early to feel like they could take something out of Raleigh, with Pavel Zacha giving them the only goal they would need to lean on if the rest of the night broke their way. Jeremy Swayman did his part with 28 saves, and for long stretches Boston had the look of a team capable of grinding out a road result before the game tightened and the margin for error disappeared.
Instead, a one-goal cushion turned into a one-goal loss, 2-1, and Bostons point streak came to an end in a game that had been there for the taking. The Bruins now get a day off to reset before turning to the St. Louis Blues, with the lingering concern being how quickly a solid start can unravel when a road game stays this close for too long. [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 🡒]