Rachel Barkley
The Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Boston Bruins for the final home game of the season in Raleigh, which will be the final game of an arduous road trip for the wild card-gripping Bruins, who have only gotten a single point in the three games played, scoring just one goal in each match.
The game, which will be Fan Appreciation Night in Lenovo Center, is scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT.
However, the last game was its own flavor of arduous for the Hurricanes. Both Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook were absent for undisclosed reasons against the Ottawa Senators, which saw a return to the lineup for Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nicolas Deslauriers.
The first period was decent enough, with the twenty minutes ending with a tied game, but things soon unraveled as the Hurricanes were unable to meet the urgency-level of a desperate Ottawa team. Alas, at least Taylor Hall – who ironically spent a little over two seasons with the Bruins – scored the 300th goal of his career. You can read all about it here!
In the Crease
For the Hurricanes, due to the alternating tandem, Brandon Bussi will be the likely starter. It will be a reunion of sorts, potentially marking Bussi’s first game against the team that signed him to his first NHL contract in 2022. His save percentage this season is .894, with a goals against average of 2.46 across a 29-6-1 record.
Meanwhile, the Bruins are expected to turn to Jeremy Swayman to mind the pipes after Joonas Korpisalo played the last game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Swayman has taken the brunt of the starts for Boston this season, with 51 out of the 78 games played thus far. His save percentage this season is .907, with a goals against average of 2.70 across a 30-17-4 record.
Expected Carolina Hurricanes Lines
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Nikolaj Ehlers
Nicolas Deslauriers – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Eric Robinson
Defense
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi / Frederik Andersen
Expected Boston Bruins Lines
Morgan Geekie – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Casey Mittelstadt – Pavel Zacha – Viktor Arvidsson
Lukas Reichel – Fraser Minten – Marat Khusnutdinov
Tanner Jeannot – Sean Kuraly – Mark Kastelic
Defense
Jonathan Aspirot – Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm – Mason Lohrei
Nikita Zadorov – Andrew Peeke
Goaltenders
Jeremy Swayman / Joonas Korpisalo
Special Teams
Carolina Hurricanes power play: 24.7% (5th)
Carolina Hurricanes penalty kill: 80.1% (12th)
Boston Bruins power play: 23.7% (9th)
Boston Bruins penalty kill: 76.6% (26th)
Hurricanes Game Notes
With just four games of the regular season remaining, the Hurricanes will likely make roster adjustments for load management in preparation for the playoffs. Until the puck drops, all lineups are merely projections – but that is especially true going into the upcoming sets of games.
In the previous game, both Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook were left off the starting lineup for reasons that were undisclosed, and their return remains uncertain.
How To Watch
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
