BSJ Game Report: Hurricanes 5, Bruins 2 - Lindholm injured, B’s follow familiar, painful script in Raleigh

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2, with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES 

Groundhog Day for the Bruins: The postseason might offer a clean slate from regular-season misery, but that sentiment hasn’t translated to what has been a woeful six periods of hockey for the Bruins down in Raleigh. 

After failing to cash in early against Carolina during a frustrating Game 1 loss on Monday, the Bruins stuck to the same dreadful script in Game 2 — albeit with even more painful results in the eventual 5-2 final. 

As more time ticked off the clock, the Bruins’ situation only seemed to devolve into an even more sordid situation. 

The first period? Boston held a commanding edge in shots on goal against the Hurricanes, who then lost their backup netminder in Antii Raanta and were forced to put rookie Fyodor Kochetkov in net — he of a whopping 149 minutes of ice time up in the NHL ranks entering Wednesday night.

But rather than pounce, Boston only landed four shots on goal against a cold Kochetkov through the final 12:13 of the opening period, while Carolina struck twice on the scoresheet off of a Jesper Fast snipe (following some failed clears) and a deflection from Sebastian Aho.

Sure seems familiar.

The second period? A last-minute scrum in the first period inexplicably put Boston on the PK entering the middle frame, with Aho giving Carolina a 3-0 lead just 1:10 into play. 

Patrice Bergeron managed to get Boston on the board at 14:57 in the second, but any momentum was all but sapped away after a bevy of penalties in the closing minutes of the period allowed Nino Niederreiter to make it a 4-1 game off another power-play strike.

By the time the third period finally got underway, the Bruins’ priority was to simply emerge without any more injuries after losing Hampus Lindholm earlier in the contest. 

Boston dealing with yet another 5-on-3 situation in that period — Carolina’s third 5-on-3 bid in the game — was just the icing on the cake.

In five games against Carolina this season, Boston has been outscored, 26-4. Just a start all-around for Boston down in Carolina. 

B’s lose Lindholm: To add injury to insult, the Bruins sure look like they’re going to be without their deadline pickup for the next little while. Hampus Lindholm was rocked by a hard (but clean) hit from Andrei Svechnikov in the second period, with the top-four blueliner needing help getting off the ice and clearly off-balance. Boston eventually ruled Lindholm out for the remainder of the game due to an upper-body injury.

Be it down on the second pairing with Brandon Carlo or slotted next to Charlie McAvoy, Lindholm is a key cog on this Bruins D corps, especially when it comes to his transition talents against this Carolina forecheck. Losing him for any extended stretch of time is devastating for this club, especially as it tries to claw out of an 0-2 hole. 

Road is only going to get tougher for Boston: There’s that old cliche that “it’s not a series until a home team loses a game.”

But when you look at the Bruins' situation, it’s hard to not feel rather disheartened about this team’s inability to land some punches early on, especially as it pertains to Carolina’s goaltending situation. 

You could have made the argument that this game was lost as soon as Boston only managed to land four shots in against Kochetkov in that first period. Because between his sudden insertion into the lineup and Raanta’s initial starting gig, the Bruins really didn’t take advantage of this window in which Frederik Andersen is on the shelf with a nagging leg injury. 

Boston has already been walloped by Carolina through two games now, and the task is going to be even more daunting if Andersen is given the green light to return on Friday.

ONE UP

Patrice Bergeron: Boston’s captain at least managed to give Boston some life at various stages of the game with his two tallies. Bergeron has now scored seven goals against Carolina in postseason action — tied for the most playoff tallies against one opponent with the Lightning and Maple Leafs. 

FOUR DOWN

David Pastrnak: Frankly, Pastrnak could have buried a hat trick in this game, and he still would have ended up on this list. Just a disastrous stretch in the first period for Pastrnak, be it the penalty on Raanta that wiped out a power play, breaking the zone early on Carolina’s first goal or this brutal sequence below shortly before Aho’s tally. Can’t have it, not against this team.

Undisciplined play: Yes, you can take this officiating crew to task for their inconsistent calls in this one (such as the fact that Svechnikov dropped both Lindholm and McAvoy at various stages of the game - but Boston emerged from both instances down a skater). But frankly, the onus has to be on Boston to be a lot more disciplined, especially at critical stages of the game.

Look no further than the immediate aftermath of Bergeron’s power-play goal, which made it a 3-1 game at the time. Boston still had plenty of time to get back in it, but a string of penalties (including Brad Marchand whacking Kochetkov with his stick) put Boston back on the PK — leading to Niederreiter’s late strike that give Carolina a three-goal cushion once again.

Middle-six unit: While Boston (unsurprisingly) got plenty of encouraging returns when it reunited the 63-37-88 line … the B’s got next to nothing from their second and third lines. Erik Haula, Pastrnak and Taylor Hall were scored on twice in just 4:00 of 5v5 ice time, while the B’s only landed one shot on goal in the Frederic-Coyle-Smith trio’s 4:51 of 5v5 ice time. 

D corps: Be it some shaky clears from Connor Clifton, Derek Forbort racking up eight penalty minutes or Matt Grzelcyk getting outmuscled down low, the Bruins' D corps once again faltered against Carolina’s pressure in this one. And with Lindholm potentially on the shelf for the foreseeable future, things could get ugly here.

PLAY OF THE GAME

LOOSE PUCKS

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will continue their first-round series Friday back on home ice, with Boston hosting Carolina in Game 3 at TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.