Here we are again: game day. The Bruins (12-6-1) are going up against the Carolina Hurricanes (8-8-4) tonight in Carolina hoping to rebound from Friday's loss to the Senators.
The Hurricanes are, at the moment, a team doing the best they can with what they have in an attempt to maintain their shot at the wildcard spot.Their 8-8-4 record comes out of having a pretty rough schedule thus far; They went up against the Red Wings, Penguins, Blackhawks and Maple Leafs in a two week span last month. It's hasn't been helping that Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin have been on injured reserve. Or that Jeff Skinner is also currently sidelined with an upper body injury. Or that Alexander Semin is also sidelined with an upper body injury. This team just kind of got shafted this season.
The Hurricanes are, at the moment, a team doing the best they can with what they have in an attempt to maintain their shot at the wildcard spot.Their 8-8-4 record comes out of having a pretty rough schedule thus far; They went up against the Red Wings, Penguins, Blackhawks and Maple Leafs in a two week span last month. It's hasn't been helping that Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin have been on injured reserve. Or that Jeff Skinner is also currently sidelined with an upper body injury. Or that Alexander Semin is also sidelined with an upper body injury. This team just kind of got shafted this season.
But lucky for Carolina, things may be looking up (and this is a strong may). It was announced earlier that Cam Ward will be back in net against the Bruins. Now Justin Peters hasn't been horrendous in the 11 games he's played, but he definitely wasn't doing the team any favors either. The guy has a .921 SV% and a 2.35 GAA, which is sub par if anything. It's true that he did face some offensively talented teams being a third string goalie, but Peters only faced around 30 shots a game. This is right on point with what every other goalie faces, so he has no excuses there. My best bet? He's just a middle of road goalie that can only procure mediocre stats. But that's just me.
But then again, Cam Ward doesn't have many excuses either. Ward has a 2.81 GAA this season with a .921 SV% after 8 games played, making him on par with the third string goalie. For a first round draft pick, this doesn't seem acceptable. But Carolina's other options right now aren't much better or are currently injured (aka Khudobin).
With their record, iffy goal tending, and their lack of offensive powerhouses, this should theoretically be an easy win for the Bruins. Our offense has been producing consistently, scoring 55 goals in 19 games (2.89 per game) and Tuukka Rask (as always) has been on point with a .943 SV% and a 1.68 GAA. The dude's a brick wall, let's be honest here.
With their record, iffy goal tending, and their lack of offensive powerhouses, this should theoretically be an easy win for the Bruins. Our offense has been producing consistently, scoring 55 goals in 19 games (2.89 per game) and Tuukka Rask (as always) has been on point with a .943 SV% and a 1.68 GAA. The dude's a brick wall, let's be honest here.
But as we all know, anything can happen with the Bruins. We have an awful tendency to make mediocre goal tenders and their middle of the pack teams look like they have playoff potential when we play them. So what do we need to do to be sure this doesn't happen?
- Our defense needs to wake up, pull it together and keep it together. None of these holes we saw in the game against Ottawa.
- Watch those turnovers. They have been killing us, especially in the neutral zone.
- Shoot the puck. Passing it back and forth seven times is not going to help us here.
- Just play some good old physical Bruins hockey.
Here are my players to watch tonight:
- Torey Krug: dude's been on fire lately. He's +4 right now with 6 goals and 6 assists, making him one of the better all around defensemen in the league. He's got some great hockey sense and most definitely will have several opportunities to come up big tonight.
- Milan Lucic: Looch has been a train this season. He's got 8 goals, 7 assists and is +9 this season (and he's done it all with only 16 penalty minutes!). After everyone complaining about him last year, he's come back with a venegance. I get the feeling he's just going to power through the Hurricane's defense and have his way with them.
- Matt Bartkowski: I feel like he's kind of underrated. Granted he's currently -1 but he's got 4 assists in the 7 games he's played. He's got good hockey sense and I feel like with a little work he could totally be one of our next great defensemen.
My Score Prediction: Bruins Win 3-1
Until Second intermission guys,
Keep Calm and Bergeron!
Keep Calm and Bergeron!