For the first time in five games, the Boston Bruins suffer defeat. Given the way the first 40 minutes went, this was a game that they deserved to lose. The Carolina Hurricanes played strong hockey, had the Bruins down 2-0 and did not give them any open ice.
A strong third period led by Bruins captain Brad Marchand helped spurn a comeback. He willed his team to tie the game but a bad break defensively led to the game-winning goal. Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook skated in on a breakaway and slid a shot past Linus Ullmark to take the lead. It would be the decisive game-winning goal and Martinook celebrated with a post game interview with his mother.
Head coach Jim Montgomery was not pleased with the final goal and the play that led to it. Given the Bruins’ effort to start the game, a bad break was the last thing they needed. It was a hard-fought game but the Bruins settled for a loss.
Special Teams Burns the Bruins
Entering this game, the Bruins’ fourth-ranked penalty kill (83.9% success rate) was going up against the third-ranked power play of the Hurricanes (27% success rate). Whoever would win the special teams battle would give their team a good chance to win. For this game, the Hurricanes made sure to make the Bruins pay for taking penalties.
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Since Dec. 27, the Hurricanes have had the most power play goals (15), which includes two goals against the Bruins. They made quick work of the Bruins’ penalty kill and scored goals in different ways. The first goal came from the top of the faceoff circle after a perfectly placed shot by Martin Necas found its way through traffic.
The second goal was a remarkable play by Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen. As the puck made its way to the front of the net, he found the loose puck, got his stick between Charlie Coyle’s legs and scored the goal.
The Bruins’ penalty kill did enough to suppress the Hurricanes’ chances but it was not good enough. The Hurricanes did not get much offense generated in the high-danger area (one attempt) but did have three scoring chances. In the end, two of the three goals came on the power play, which ultimately decided the game.
Bruins’ New Look Top Line Brought Them Back
With the Bruins looking sluggish through the first two periods, Montgomery shuffled the lines. Down 2-0 headed into the third period, a new look top line of Trent Frederic, Brad Marchand, and Charlie Coyle went to work. It was the spark the team needed to tie the game.
The line was responsible for the two goals the Bruins put on the board. It is amazing to see the emergence of Frederic and how he’s been able to contribute. He is a player that can drive a line and has been able to play with multiple players in the lineup. With great vision and patience with the puck, a cross-ice pass eventually found Marchand who punched it home to tie the game. Montgomery has not been shy about shuffling his lines but this line deserves to stick around.
The time on ice was short (3:36) but the results speak for themselves. The trio finished with the second-best Corsi for percentage (60%) and did a great job possessing the puck. They heavily outshot the Hurricanes 6-2 and had a goal differential of 2-0. Offensively, they were highly impactful, generating 0.66 expected goals. All three players on this line excel in the high-danger areas of the ice, and the Bruins out-attempted the Hurricanes 4-1 when they were on the ice. The Bruins dominated the third period and given their pushback, they were good defensively that period. This line did a great job of suppressing the Hurricanes’ chances and finished with 0.18 expected goals against.
Ullmark Has a Tough Go When Facing the Hurricanes
You go back to the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and this Hurricanes team has had Ullmark’s number. He eventually got replaced by Jeremy Swayman after Game 2 and the rest is history. Entering last night’s game, he was 0-3-1 against the Hurricanes in his career and now adds another loss to that list.
Ullmark wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t great either. The last goal by Martinook is one that he would love to have back as well. He finished the night with 0.87 goals saved above expected but a good save percentage (.909). The Bruins’ defense did a great job of keeping the Hurricanes to the low-danger areas of the ice, limiting the number of high-danger shots he faced. He stopped five of six shots in the area, finishing with a .833 save percentage.
It was a good effort by Ullmark but now remains winless against the Hurricanes. He may get a chance to bounce back before the All-Star break.
Bruins Look To End the Break Strong
This was not the best game for the Bruins and they didn’t get any points out of it. The Hurricanes are a strong team and utilized their strengths to defeat the Bruins. The Bruins have been playing great hockey as of late but this loss is not the end of the world.
Before the festivities in Toronto, the Bruins have two more road games. They’ll take on the Ottawa Senators tonight and head to Philadelphia for a matinee showdown with the Flyers on Saturday. Ullmark likely will start one of the two games and look to get the Bruins back in the win column.
