Game 41: Bruins vs. Hurricanes Game Preview

Boston Bruins: 26-10-4 vs. Carolina Hurricanes: 16-22-2

The Boston Bruins will be in Raleigh, North Carolina Saturday night for a showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes. The matchup will mark the third and final meeting between these clubs this year. The B’s will be in search of the season series sweep. Boston can clinch a playoff spot with a victory and regain the Northeast Division lead with a Montreal loss.

Claude Julien’s team will look to pick up their sixth win in their last eight attempts. As for the Hurricanes, not much has changed since the 6-2 beating the Black-and-Gold laid on them this past Monday night. The Canes have lost nine of their last ten games, including two additional losses since departing from Boston.

The main focus for the B’s will be rediscovering their offensive mojo. A team that scored early and often in beating the Canes earlier this week, followed up what was a promising effort with a disheartening shortcoming against the Islanders. Playing without leading scorers Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, the B’s offense seemed to be out of sorts and marred by inconsistencies.

Facing a decimated Canes squad may once again prove to be exactly what the Bruins need in order to get things back on track. After falling 2-1 to Montreal on April 6, it was the Bruins bouncing back, hanging a six spot on Carolina. The B’s once again find themselves in a similar situation; only this time they will be looking to avenge a 2-1 loss to the Isles. Whether the B’s have the same success remains to be seen.

After a great deal of line shuffling and searching for the most advantageous way to fill the void left by Patrice Bergeron in the Bruins lineup, Claude Julien must now do the same in addressing Marchand’s absence. After a day off and a chance to reassess their assets, Boston will get another attempt at building chemistry. The Bruins have gotten a steady contribution from Gregory Campell and Rich Peverley recently. Both players have taken on significantly different roles and will provide immense assistance if they can keep up the success.

With the likes of Jaromir Jagr, David Krejci, Tyler Seguin, Milan Lucic, and Nathan Horton manning the Bruins front lines, emerging victorious Saturday should be of little issue. The Canes are one of the weaker defensive teams in the NHL and their lack of quality goaltending could help spring the top Bruin forwards in the right direction. Several of the B’s players admitted it has been difficult at times with out their top scorers, but no one around the NHL is feeling sorry. Boston needs to block out any extraneous deterrents and find what it takes from within.

The Hurricanes will be expected to trot out the same group from other night. The Staal brothers are always a threat, as is Jeff Skinner. Eric Staal, arguably Carolina’s best player, has not produced a single goal during their current 7 game losing skid. Look for the trio to receive a heavy dosage of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.

Tuukka Rask will likely be in goal for the B’s. Carolina has not been able to solve him, dropping both previous contests. Last time out, Tuukka turned aside 40 shots and improved to 3-2 in career head-to-head matchups. Things don’t look bright for the Hurricanes.

Look for the Bruins to continue on in riding their hot goalies. No matter who man’s the Boston crease, goals will be difficult to come by for the Hurricanes. Carolina has been brutally outscored 59-24 in their last 15 tilts (1-13-1).  At the end of the day, stats don’t lie. The B’s are fifth in the league in points (56) and have outscored the opposition by a combined 27 goals this season. They are still an elite NHL team and should face little resistance in knocking of the Canes.

Bruins beaten by the Isles, 2-1

The Islander bench congratulates Josh Bailey after scoring
one of his two goals. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Boston Bruins, plagued by fatigue, fell to the New York Islanders Thursday night. The Isles defeated the B’s, 2-1. With the victory, New York improved to 5-0-1 in their last 6 games and avoids the dreaded season sweep. Boston lost its top spot in the Northeast and moved back into fourth place in the Eastern Conference. It was a night full of missed opportunities. The Black-and-Gold seemed to be a step late all evening long.

Josh Bailey was the difference in this hockey game. The 23-year old winger scored both Islander goals and it was all that they would need. His first tally came with just 21 seconds remaining in the first period. Boston turned the puck over, Bailey gobbled it up, and ripped one top shelf by Rask on the glove side. The Isles would take a 1-0 lead to the dressing room and into the second frame.

Boston opened up the scoring in the second. Tyler Seguin notched a power play goal at 3:41 of the period.  Jaromir Jagr and Greg Campell both picked up assists on the play. It was the B’s second PP goal in as many nights. The final scoring strike of the game came at 13:12 of the period. Josh Bailey was unopposed on a strong net drive and ended up beating Rask for the game winner. 

After playing 3 games in 4 nights, Boston’s finest seemed to fade away as the game progressed, as tired legs caught up to them. The Bruins started out like a house on fire, heavily outshooting the Isles in the opening twenty-minutes. New York tilted the ice in their favor at a steady clip following that. Boston was unable to convert on numerous scoring chances and it ultimately cost them two points.

Excuses aside, the game was there for the taking and Boston failed to capitalize. For some odd reason, Claude Julien decided to tinker with the lines once again and it proved costly. Playing without leading scorer Brad Marchand, the B’s offense looked invisible at times, especially in the third. In the games most crucial moments the Bruins seemed to fumble the puck away and misfire.

Lets not take anything away from the phenomenal blue collared effort the Islanders put forth in this one. New York knew what they were up against and showed up ready to roll. Chasing a playoff spot, the Isles put their skills to the test and left the Garden feeling excellent about their chances moving forward. They played a sound defensive game, stifling the Bruins top scorers from finishing off plays that should have been finished.  Evgeni Nabokov was a huge contributing factor in the success New York had. The veteran net minder turned away 30 of 31 shots.

For Boston, Tuukka Rask kept his club in the game for the full sixty. Rask made 34 saves and withstood several series of sustained Islander attacks in which several shots were fired toward him. The loose defensive play exhibited by the Bruins defensemen has become a highly unsettling trend, as they have looked beatable for weeks now. If it wasn’t for the elite goaltending the Bruins tenders have been turning in nightly now, things would look much worse.

The B’s will get a day off, rest, and regroup before traveling to Carolina Saturday night. In the mean time, many aspects of their game need to ironed out. Most importantly, Claude needs to find functional line pairings and stick to them. This Bruins team may be winners of 5 of their last 7, but that is largely due to the spectacular goaltending they have gotten. With Marchand and Bergeron out with concussions until further notice, the B’s must to dig deep and believe in one another.

By no means should the Bruins push the panic button. The Islanders are formidable opponents who were hungry and desperate for a win. Obviously the lack of production is a cause for concern, but it’s nothing that a veteran savvy group cannot work out. The continued success Tyler Seguin, Jaromir Jagr, and Gregory Campell are having is more than encouraging.