The Carolina Hurricanes asserted their dominance in the Eastern Conference with a 6-0 beatdown of the Boston Bruins in TD Garden on Thursday, Feb. 10.
The Canes (32-10-3) made an example of the admittedly short-handed Bruins (26-16-3) to the tune of six goals in a statement win after a poor start to the second half. Although Bruins left wing and self-described Lamborghini Brad Marchand was out while serving a six-game suspension for this skirmish with Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, Carolina still ran circles around the rest of the Bruins squad through the night.
“I thought we rebounded well after the last game and with the slow start we had,” said center Jordan Staal. “I think we carried that third period that we had [in Ottawa] into this game. The power play was ready to go. PK killed some big penalties early in the game… It was a good effort all around and we’re gonna try to keep it rolling.”
Center and alleged Prius Vincent Trocheck set the precedent for the Canes’ dominant netfront presence with a scrappy goal in the first period. A rebound off a shot by left wing Teuvo Teräväinen found its way directly between Trocheck and Boston goalie Linus Ullmark, but Trocheck beat Ullmark to the punch and swiped the puck into the net.
Teräväinen earned his first of three assists for the evening on Trocheck’s goal, later teeing up both of center Sebastian Aho’s two goals. Not to be forgotten, right wing Andrei Svechnikov tallied three points of his own with a pair of assists and an unassisted goal early in the second period to make it 2-0 Canes. With the offense firing on all cylinders, the Canes had little trouble passing the puck around and putting it in the net.
Staal even put his name back on the scoresheet in the waning minutes. Defenseman Brady Skjei fired off a shot from the blue line and Staal put a subtle tip on it for his first goal since Oct. 29. Despite the occasion, the Hurricanes captain stays more concerning about winning than scoring.
“In this group, there’s a lot of guys who score goals,” Staal said. “We’re just trying to play the right way and do the right things and win games, but it’s definitely nice to get [a goal].”
The Bruins accumulated 34 shots of their own compared to 43 by Carolina, but none made it past goaltender Frederik Andersen. One of three Canes to be named an NHL All-Star, Andersen has been a brick wall in the crease all season and tonight was no exception. With the added help of 13 blocked shots by the Canes, Andersen’s net was practically impenetrable.
“The game can be flipped right there,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “If they get a power play goal, the game’s way different. So that was a huge part of the game. [Andersen] was great, and then we were able to settle down and get playing.”
After two rough losses, the Canes will have an opportunity to even out this four-game road trip when they take on the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, Feb. 12. Puck drops at 8 p.m.
