Event: Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Date/Time: Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 17,565), Boston, MA.
Broadcast Info: Thursday's game between the Bruins and the Hurricanes will be broadcast live on NESN and the NHL Network. The game can also be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: The Bruins pulled off some more third period heroics again on Tuesday, scoring two unanswered goals in the final frame to give them a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Dennis Seidenberg had the game winning goal, and a memorable one at that, taking the shot from the red line and managing to get it in past Craig Anderson. Also scoring for the Bruins were Zdeno Chara, Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand.
Tim Thomas notched another win and had 30 saves on the night against a team that bombarded him with 13 shots in the second period alone.
On the other side, the Carolina Hurricanes managed to tie their game up on Tuesday, 2-2 less than seven minutes into the third period. After the Islanders took a 2-0 lead, it looked like Carolina was going to come back and sneak away with two points. However, New York found three more goals in the period--two of them with an empty net--and the ‘Canes fell 5-2.
Brandon Sutter and Tim Brent each netted a goal for Carolina, and netminder Cam Ward had 21 saves on 24 shots.
Storyline: Even with the successes of Boston and the trials and tribulations of the Hurricanes, Carolina finds itself on the brink of making history. They currently hold a 3-0-0 season series lead over the Bruins, and, if they were to win tonight, would sweep it completely, marking it as the first time in franchise history to accomplish that feat.
What would make it more impressive is that the Bruins currently hold second place in the Eastern Conference, and the Hurricanes sit in dead last.
Tim Thomas has lost two of the three games they have played against each other this season, while Tuukka Rask has fallen victim to the other. Rask will most likely be in net tonight after Thomas’ start on Tuesday, and will have the chance to keep Carolina at bay.
In the three meetings, the Bruins have only scored a total of five goals, while being outscored 11-5.
Players To Watch:
There have been a couple of key players for Carolina when they face off against the Bruins. Anthony Stewart, Joni Pitkanen, Brandon Sutter and Eric Staal all seem to make the score sheet whenever they meet, so definitely keep eyes on them.
Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference will be back in the lineup tonight after serving his three game suspension. Adam McQuaid should also be in the lineup after suffering a lower body injury, putting the defensive pairings back to their usual state.
However, forward Nathan Horton will not be in the lineup again, still suffering from his mild concussion.
Prediction: If the Bruins don’t want to come out on the wrong side of history tonight, they will have to find a way past this team that seems to have their numbers. It will be a close one, but Bruins will come out on top. Final Score: Bruins 3, Hurricanes 2.
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