The Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, March 6 hosted the Boston Bruins for the last game before the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday. The Hurricanes were looking for their third straight win while the Bruins were looking to snap a two-game skid. While there has been lots of speculation surrounding Mikko Rantanen, it was business as usual for the Hurricanes who were celebrating their 100th consecutive sellout, which dates back to Feb. 2023. As the final horn sounded, the Hurricanes won 3-2 over the Bruins.
Game Recap
There were some wrinkles in the game before the puck was dropped for the Hurricanes as Dmitry Orlov was taken out due to a minor injury. He was replaced by Riley Stillman who unfortunately left the game early as he took a skate to the face in the first period. He did not return to the game due to precautionary reasons. That being said, there was a game to play. The Hurricanes got a 1-0 lead in the first 20 minutes by way of a shorthanded goal from Sebastian Aho. Aho was playing a strong forecheck in the Bruins’ zone and was able to steal a lazy pass off the boards and crash the net. He waited out Joonas Korpisalo to score his 24th of the season.
However, with a tad over a minute left in the first period, Morgan Geekie evened it up for the Bruins with his 21st of the season. He was their best player of the period contributing to the team’s 14 shots in the period. After 20 minutes, it was a 1-1 game with the shots on goal (SOG) in favor of the Bruins 14-9.
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The second period saw a quick goal from the Hurricanes just over two minutes into the middle frame. Brent Burns was trying to center the puck, but it bounced off a Bruins player and into the net. They don’t ask how but how many as Burns’ fifth of the season made it a 2-1 Hurricanes lead. That was the only goal as the home team took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission while being outshot 9-4 in the second period.
The third period saw a quick goal from the Bruins just a tad over a minute into the frame. It was Geekie once again as he picked up a greasy goal in a battle in front of the crease. His 22nd goal of the season and second of the game tied it up again 2-2. Geekie was the best player for the Bruins up to that point.
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Carolina thought they had a 3-2 lead on a Taylor Hall goal, but it was reversed as Jack Roslovic was offside. However, the Hurricanes did not stop trying for the tie-breaking goal, and with 18.6 seconds left, they got their break. Nikita Zadorov’s stick broke in the Bruins’ zone and Seth Jarvis was in the right place to grab the loose puck. He went to the net and shot it past Korpisalo to net his 24th of the season and the game-winning goal.
It gave the Hurricanes their 24th home win of the season and 37th overall. Also, it is their third straight win going into Friday’s trade deadline.
Trade Deadline Is Here
The trade deadline is finally here as Friday, March 7. The deadline is set to close at 3 p.m. Eastern and there have been a lot of rumors around the league over the last week. There has been a ton of noise around Rantanen and the hope is that he stays in Carolina past Friday’s deadline. Will he still be in Raleigh? Only time will tell.
