Murph’s Take: Bruins Give Hurricanes Wind Again And Pay For It

My apologies for the, I swear, unintended pun that the Boston Bruins gave the Carolina Hurricanes wind again. However, that figuratively and literally was the case twice in the Bruins’ 5-1 series-opening loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

After going 3-0-0 against the Boston Bruins in the 2021-22 regular season and out-scoring the Bruins 16-1, the Canes are no 4-0-0 and have outscored the Bruins 21-2 over that span. The Bruins and their fans can try and spin it all they want but the Bruins didn’t beat themselves, the Hurricanes beat them. As I say here, the Boston Bruins needed to do a lot more but you can’t ignore the fact that the Hurricanes wouldn’t let them.

The Canes fed off a strong first period from backup goalie Antti Raanta in his first-ever start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they helped Raanta has well by limiting second chances from the Bruins. Their trademark transition game midway through the second period and late in the third also caused problems for the Boston Bruins.

Give the Bruins credit, they did play a great road game in the first period, and showed signs of life again early in the third but as yours truly expected, the Hurricanes just seem like that 2011 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup team that had paid its dues and finally broke through to the Promised Land. I have them returning to the Eastern Conference Final again, and while I don’t see them being swept away like they were by the Bruins in the 2019 Eastern Conference Final, they will fall to the team with more destiny in it’s favor, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here’s my Game 1 takes on the Boston Bruins disappointing start to Game 1 of their quest for the seventh Stanley cup in franchise history. If they play the way they did for too many spurts in Game 1, in Game 2, Patrice Bergeron‘s NHL career could be over in a week.