The Boston Bruins' Charlie McAvoy went end-to-end and scored the game-winning goal in overtime en route to a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night at TD Garden.
Pregame notes.
The Bruins are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time since Nov. 11-15 and they'll attempt to snap that skid when they host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at TD Garden.
It doesn't help that the Bruins will be without the services of top-line center Patrice Bergeron, who suffered a fractured right foot and will miss at least two weeks. As a result, Riley Nash will be moved up from the third line to play with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
Newcomer Tommy Wingels will make his Bruins debut on the third line with Danton Heinen and David Backes.
Masked men: Tuukka Rask is starting and it'll be his 41st game this season. He's 24-11-4 with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He's 7-3-3 with a 1.89 GAA and a .939 SP in 14 career games against the Hurricanes. Scott Darling gets the nod for the 'Canes. He's 10-16-6 with a 3.05 GAA and a .890 SP in 33 games this season. He owns a 3-1-0 record, a 3.09 and a .908 in five career games with the Bruins.
Lineup changes: After missing his first NHL game as a healthy scratch, second-year defenseman Brandon Carlo returns to the lineup tonight. He'll be paired with Torey Krug. Carlo has struggled with inconsistencies this season, and has been turning over the puck more often than not of late. Coach Bruce Cassidy, as he's done with other young players, thought it best for Carlo to watch Sunday's game against the Sabres from press level. His return tonight means Adam McQuaid will be a healthy scratch.
Cassidy had this message for Carlo: "Just a good, solid (game) and play to your identity. Defend well, defend hard, move your feet when you get the puck in order to open up passing lanes. Obviously, the offensive part of it hasn't gone as well as last year, but we're not forcing anything there are him. We'd love to see more results, but that's not our primary focus. We have other guys that can fill that role, so get back to defending well and make a good first pass."
Patience is a virtue: Newcomer Nick Holden remains the odd-man out since the Bruins acquired him from the Rangers last week. Cassidy has said he's going with the defensemen that helped the team to this point, so it's a matter of figuring out the best time to integrate Holden into the lineup. Generally, Holden plays the left side, but those spots are occupied by Zdeno Chara, Krug and Matt Gzelcyk. Holden can play the right side if needed, but it remains a wait-and-see situation.
"He's getting anxious and we get that," admitted Cassidy. "We do have 22 more games to sort through it.
Bad timing: The Hurricanes enter tonight's game only five points out of the second wild-card spot in the East. They've struggled in their last five games with a 0-4-1 record and Carolina is facing a hungry Bruins team that has lost back-to-back games.
In the thick of a playoff race, the Hurricanes mustered just one of a possible 10 points in their last five games (0-4-1). In that stretch, the team has managed just six goals.
"We've got to start playing better. That's the focus right now," coach Bill Peters told reporters. "There are still 20 games left. The group is going to rally here."
Welcome home: Boston native Noah Hanifin is in the midst of his third season in the NHL. The 21-year-old defenseman for the Hurricanes has 16 goals and 62 assists for 78 points in 222 games for Carolina. He recently represented the Hurricanes at the NHL All-Star game.
Observations from the first period.
- On his first shift as a Bruin at TD Garden, Rick Nash makes an open-net stick save to prevent a possible Hurricane goal. What an all-out effort.
- Grzelcyk is having a tremendous rookie season. He continually makes elite plays.
- Noel Acciari draws a penalty and the Bruins going on their first PP. Enter tonight's game 2-for-32 in the last 10 games.
- That didn't go so well. Hurricanes force a turnover in defensive end and gain possession when Marchand is called for a holding penalty. Turnovers in the O-zone have been a big issues of late.
- Rask keeping the Bruins in this game early.
- Hurricanes take a 1-0 lead. Chara and Carlo allow a player behind them and Brock McGinn pumps in a rebound against Rask.
- Rick Nash has his first goal as a Bruin and the fans give him a standing ovation. Game tied at 1-1.
- On the ensuing faceoff, Pastrnak is going to the box for four minutes for high-sticking
- Carolina regains its lead with a power-play goal to make it 2-1.
- Rask normally gets to those rimmed pucks. Unusual he didn't get to that one.
- Cassidy totally changing up his power-play units. Now 0-for-2 and ugly.
- I'm all for defensive layers, but I have no idea where Carlo was going on that to leave Sebastian Aho ALL alone as he scores to make it 3-1.
- Riley Nash scores with 2.9 seconds remaining in the period to cut deficit to one goal. Miller helped create that goal without ever touching the puck but by playing the body in the defensive end.
- Hurricanes creating a ton of O-zone time.
- Jake DeBrusk with a nifty, tape-to-tape cross-ice pass to Wingels, who scores his first goal as a Bruin to tie the game at 3-3.
- Another aspect of Rick Nash's game that I like is the fact that he keeps his shifts short and effective.
- Cassidy quickly going back with Wingels line because he's been generating chances.
- Solid O-zone time for the Bruins in the waning minutes of the period.
- DeBrusk is more engaged in this game than he has been of late.
- That was a play that Chara should have played the puck and not the body with 39.5 remaining in the period.
- Wingels, Rick Nash and Backes finish the period.
- Krejci, Nash and DeBrusk start the period.
- This has to be a game where Rick Nash gets the game-winning goal.
- Check that: I'm going with Wingels.
- Other than that one time earlier in the game, Rask has controlled the rimmed pucks.
- For someone playing an entirely different system, Rick Nash has adjusted well in only two games for the Bruins.
- Fourth line doing its job with a sustained forecheck.
- Huge save by Rask on Derek Ryan.