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Talking Points: Same Old Story In Game 1, Hurricanes Beat Bruins 5-1

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2 years ago

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Boston Bruins

RALEIGH, NC – The Boston Bruins lost to the Carolina Hurricanes. …again.

So much for the Stanley Cup Playoffs being a new season because there wasn’t much difference from the regular season in Game 1 as the Hurricanes, after a slow start, just took over and blew the Bruins away in a 5-1 win Monday at a rocking PNC Arena. After going 0-3-0 against the Hurricanes and being outscored 16-1 in the regular season, the Bruins are now 0-4-0 and being outscored 21-2 in their last four games against Canes team that appears poised to surge through them.

Despite the fact that it must have felt as if they were walking into the eye of the storm with a thunderous ovation constant decibel levels reminiscent of a Bruins-Whalers game at the Hartford Civic Center back in the day, the Bruins actually outplayed the Canes in the opening frame. The Bruins out-shot the Canes 14-10, but five of those Canes shots came in the final minutes of the period. However, they had to be kicking themselves that they were still knotted at zero with the Hurricanes and clearly the Canes took that gift and ran with it.

Seth Jarvis (16:28) and Nino Niederreiter (18:38) scored two goals in 2:10. Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall did cut the lead to 2-1 Canes 2:53 into the third period but Teuvo Teravainen made it 3-1 Canes just 4:09 later and that was all she wrote for the Bruins in Game 1. Hurricanes forwards Vincent Trochek (16:59) and Andrei Svechnikov (17:59) scored a minute apart to make it 5-1.

Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta was superb for the Carolina Hurricanes stopping 35 of 36 Bruins shots. On the other end, while his teammates didn’t exactly do their job in front of him, Linus Ullmark didn’t make the big saves when the Bruins needed him to. Ullmark allowed four goals on 24 shots.

GOLD STAR: In his first start ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Raanta shined. He held the Bruins at bay in the first period and continually stopped any momentum the Bruins gained when they were trying to come back later in the game. This was also the first time that Raanta had faced the Bruins in 2016.He looked calm, collected and poised and if the Bruins, like many fans and media thought he was going to be the Canes’ sore spot, think again.

BLACK EYE: Don’t be surprised if Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy breaks up the Matt Gryzelcyk-Brandon Carlo pairing for Game 2. The combo had a night to forget and at times treated the puck like it was a hot potato. Grzelcyk was a minus 3 and Carlo a minus 2. As the game went on, it was clear that the Canes were targeting them down low and had no problem clearing them out for second chances. The problem is, if Cassidy breaks that pair up, does he need to break up the Charlie McAvoy-Hampus Lindholm pairing?

TURNING POINT: There were arguably two turning points so let’s say an A and B? The two quick goals by Jarvis and Niederreiter in the second period definitely changed the tone of the game and almost blew the PNC Arena roof off. However, the Teravainen goal just 4:09 after Hall made it 2-1 Canes was a backbreaker.

HONORABLE MENTION: I must admit, I haven’t seen Hurricanes rookie Seth Jarvis play a lot this season but man is this kid a spark plug! His speed and tenacity are clearly infectious and the Canes got a keeper. Jarvis opened the scoring and then assisted  on the final goal for the Canes.

BY THE NUMBERS: 0-4 – The Boston Bruins record against the Hurricanes in the 2021-22 regular season and in the playoffs so far.

QUOTE TO NOTE: This quote tweet by my partner-in-scribe pretty much sums up that first period frustration:

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