An ugly start to playoffs
Bruins overwhelmed by intense Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. — When the Bruins beat the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019 and 2020 playoffs, the ‘Canes looked like a promising young team that just did not know how to win in the spring yet.
Carolina’s time may have arrived.
The Bruins failed to capitalize on a dominant opening 10 minutes to the game, and the ’Canes scored two late second-period goals to seize control of Game 1 of their first playoff series, beating the Bruins 5-1 and holding serve at PNC Arena on Monday. It was the B’s fourth loss in as many tries against the ‘Canes this season.
Seth Jarvis and Nino Niederreiter scored 2:10 apart late in the second to send the ‘Canes on their way while the B’s piled up shots, but not enough second-chance
opportunities.
In a scoreless first period, the Bruins were all over the ‘Canes in the early going, at one point holding a 13-4 shot advantage. They got an early power play when Brady Skjei shot the puck over the glass,
and the Bruins did have some chances, but they could not beat Antti Raanta, thrust into action because of the lower body injury to Frederik Andersen. The best chance came when the power play was winding down and a
Craig Smith shot trickled between Raanta’s pads, but Jake Debrusk couldn’t get there to jam home the loose puck before it was pulled off the goal line by Carolina defenders and Raanta covered it.
But the Hurricanes got their motor going, thanks to a couple of Bruin penalties.
The Bruins finally got on the board early in the third. Charlie Mcavoy went in deep to win a puck behind the net. It squirted out to Erik Haula, who made a terrific pass out high to Taylor Hall, who buried a one-timer past Raanta at 2:53 to cut the deficit to 2-1.
They couldn’t get any closer. The ‘Canes regained their two-goal lead at 7:02. Hall took a shot from the right side that missed the net and rimmed out on the other side. Matt Grzelcyk pinched down the left side side but could not get the puck and Vincent Trocheck took off on a 2-on-1 with Teravainen against Brandon Carlo. Trocheck was able to get his pass past Carlo and Teravainen beat Ullmark with a high shortside wrister.