There's something to be said about a team that holds last place in the Conference, but can still make history against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
And for the Bruins, their something is too inappropriate to repeat.
The B's have seen all sorts of talent so far this year, and dozens of teams that have tried to derail them and failed, and yet this one Carolina team is like an annoying mosquito that they keep trying to slap, but end up looking foolish when the mosquito flies away.
And after four games, the mosquito is the one that's laughing.
Though the Bruins finished the night with 47 shots on net--22 in the first period-- none of them found the back of the net, and the B's defense broke down too many times to keep the puck out of their own net.
Eric Staal netted the first goal for the Hurricanes, a little more than halfway through the first period. Johnny Boychuk fell to the ground after he drove himself into the butt end of his stick that was stuck in the boards. He said he "felt like a shish kabob," but he was fine to come out and play again in the second period.
However, in the meantime, Jiri Tlusty found Staal set up out in front of the net, and his pass connected with him and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 at the end of the first period.
The woes just piled up from there, and after peppering Cam Ward with shots in the first, they put up a measly five shots in the second period, while Carolina took 14. Of those 14, Tuomo Ruutu was able to net one, putting the Hurricanes up 2-0 with less than four minutes to go in the second.
"Yeah, I thought that, especially in the first, we had close to 22 shots," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "But, like I said, we didn’t follow up on that same first 20 [minutes] in the second 20. We were just not there. Then again, the second 20 we had maybe four, five or six shots. So the two extremes. That’s not good enough and for the most part, and yeah, [Cam Ward] saw most of [the shots]."
Then again in the third, Boston tried to take back the momentum, taking another 20 shots on net, but the third period magic wasn't there tonight. In fact, Carolina managed to score a third goal on them, Brandon Sutter's 12th of the season to seal the deal 3-0.
This is the first time in Carolina's history that they have swept the Bruins in the season series--as the last team in the Conference no less. However, according to Shawn Thornton, the solution is easy, and they aren't letting frustration creep into the locker room just yet.
"It’s just hard work – it’s simple," Thornton said. "Show up. We need all 23 guys showing up and working hard and playing with a bit of an edge and not going over it – that’s when we’re successful. We should know that by now. If we have any passengers, then we’re not successful."
Head coach Claude Julien agreed.
"Absolutely. You’ve got players in the back end doing too much and caught up the ice, and same thing," Julien said. "We’ve got some forwards that are not very good at covering up or giving a second layer because we’re not working hard enough. Same thing. All your questions are going to relate to the same thing. It’s pretty obviously where our issues are."