Event: Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Date/Time: Saturday, January 14, 2012 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: RBC Center (Capacity: 18,860), Raleigh, N.C.
Broadcast Info: Thursday's game between the Bruins and the Canadiens will be broadcast live on NESN. The game can also be heard on 100.7 WZLX (due to Patriots/Broncos game), with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: The Bruins managed to come out with another win on Thursday night, picking up a 2-1 victory over the struggling Montreal Canadiens.
Jordan Caron scored the first goal for the Bruins just 1:23 into the first period, after a bad bounce of the back boards caught Habs goaltender Carey Price off guard, and Caron put it into the open net.
Milan Lucic netted the second goal with assists from linemates Nathan Horton and David Krejci. Horton positioned himself behind the net, gathered the puck from Krejci and then passed it out to a waiting Lucic in front of the net who tapped it in.
Tim Thomas stopped 33-of-34 shots and improved to 18-7-0 on the season.
As for the Hurricanes, they have had two key players out since the beginning of December. Both Joni Pitkanen and Jeff Skinner are currently on Injured Reserve and haven’t played in a game for over a month though Skinner was cleared for contact back on Wednesday.
Back on Thursday Carolina came out with a win against the Lightning, 5-2, for only their second win in six games. Four different players scored for them, including Tuomo Ruutu, and Jiri Tlusty, who netted two goals.
Storyline: This is the third time these two teams have met each other this year. The first two games were back in October when the Bruins finished the month 3-7-0. The Hurricanes outscored them 7-3 in those two games, and Pitkanen accounted for four points in those two games.
Since then, the Bruins have done a little bit better and are currently hoping to take their fifth win in six games. They currently hold the top spot in their Division and second place in the Conference--just below the New York Rangers.
The Hurricanes are 14th in the Conference with a 15-23-7 record overall.
Players To Watch:
Last game David Krejci extended his point-streak to 10 games--best streak so far in the NHL this season, and has shown no signs of slowing down.
But it’s Joe Corvo that actually leads the Bruins in points against the Hurricanes with two assists in the three total goals they have scored against them. Tyler Seguin, Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley own the three goals.
Prediction: I think it will be important for the Bruins to start their road trip in the right frame of mind, and they know this first game will be the way to do that. Expect them to come out hard and strong, and against a team like Carolina, they will come out on top. Final Score: Bruins 5, Hurricanes 1.
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