Unbeaten Hurricanes ready for ‘the big test’ against Boston Bruins
Want to make the Carolina Hurricanes a little edgy?
Two words can do it: “Boston Bruins.”
Any mention of the Bruins can conjure up thoughts, mostly negative ones, of the Canes’ losses to Boston in the Stanley Cup playoffs in both 2019 and 2020. The Bruins were stronger, tougher, better.
It conjures up the thought of the Bruins’ Brad Marchand curling his stick blade around the neck of Justin Williams, the Canes’ captain in 2019, and then mocking him when Williams retaliated and was called for a penalty.
It conjures up Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy yanking off Jordan Staal’s helmet and tossing it across the ice in 2020, a saucy move.
Or the Canes’ Andrei Svechnikov tangling with defenseman Zdeno Chara, then with the Bruins, in the 2020 playoffs and awkwardly falling backward. It looked gruesome for Svechnikov but it wasn’t. It was a high ankle sprain and not a knee injury, as many feared, although it did keep Svechnikov out of the playoff series as the Bruins won in five games.
The Canes and Bruins did not play last season in the NHL’s divisional configuration. They’ll get together again Thursday for a game at PNC Arena, with the Canes undefeated at 5-0 and looking for a different result against the B’s, their nemesis.
“I think we’ve still got another level to get to,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday after practice. “Tomorrow will be the big test. Tomorrow will be a team that knows how to win and gets it and does it right.
“I think everybody else, there are so many teams like ourselves still trying to figure that out. We haven’t got there and these guys have.”
The Bruins bring a 3-2-0 record into the game after a 4-1 road loss Wednesday against the Florida Panthers. They’ll come into PNC Arena to complete the back-to-back with many faces familiar to many of the Canes.
There’s still the so-called “Perfection Line” to contend with as Patrice Bergeron centers Marchand and David Pastrnak. There’s still McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk on the back end. The Bruins have added Erik Haula, the former Canes forward who became a protagonist for the Canes and their fans while playing for the Nashville Predators last season, especially in the playoffs.
One familiar face will be missing: goalie Tuukka Rask, who continues to rehab from offseason surgery and remains a free agent.
The Bergeron line has stood the test of time. Asked Wednesday if the Canes can slow down the Bruins’ top line, Brind’Amour smiled and said, “I wish.”
“They’re a great group and they have been for a long time,” he said to the media. “It’s not just the talent that they have. They work at it. You watch how they play. You talk about doing it right, they do it right.
“They have that commitment to how hard they do it. That’s why they’ve had success for a long time.”
Brind’Amour, with the last change at home, should counter with Jordan Staal’s line, with wingers Nino Niederreiter and Jesper Fast. Brind’Amour is loathe to call it his checking line but it is his best defensive line.
“They have such a high elite team with a lot of skill,” Niederreiter said Wednesday to the media. “They’ve been a top group the past few years, and we know what to expect from them and how good they are.
“The biggest thing is to outwork them and play smart and do the little things right. I think that’s been clicking for our line so far. We have to play simple and make the plays when they are there and we get the pucks when we have to, and I don’t think it’s going to be any different.”
As for the Canes, defensemen Brett Pesce said the game plan is basic: “Be in their face all night.” Behind the D could be goalie Frederik Andersen making a sixth straight start after winning the first five games.
The flip side is that the Bruins must try and slow the Canes’ top line. Sebastian Aho, Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen, back together again, have combined for 11 goals and 22 points. Aho and Svechnikov have five-game point streaks and Teravainen has points in four of the past five games.
After the Bruins game, the Canes host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and then Arizona on Sunday to complete a four-game homestand that began with a 4-1 win Monday over Toronto.
“We’ve just got to ride the wave,” Neiderreiter said.
Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh.
TV/Radio: Bally Sports South, WCMC 99.9 FM.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
