Bruins hammer Hurricanes for 4-1 road win
Thursday night in Raleigh presented the Bruins with arguably was their stiffest test of a stretch of six straight road tilts.
The Hurricanes, while off since Saturday, have been one of the league’s hottest teams since their trade deadline acquisition of Jake Guentzel, and had especially lethal at home. Oh, and Rod Brind’Amour’s club was coming back-to-back shutout performances, too.
But powered by three goals in an 8:34 span in the opening period of play, including career goal No. 400 from Brad Marchand, the Bruins made quick work of the Hurricanes by a 4-1 final at PNC Arena.
And it was Marchand who kicked things off for the Bruins, as he received a tremendous pass from Morgan Geekie to launch into the Carolina zone on a breakaway strike on Carolina’s Freddie Andersen. The goal was Marchand’s 28th of the year, his first since Mar. 9, and ended what was a stretch of 10 straight games without a goal for the Boston captain.
The Bruins continued to take advantage of an over-aggressive Carolina defense just 5:30 after Marchand’s game-opening tally, and doubled their lead when Brent Burns opted to give David Pastrnak a clear-as-day lane to Andersen’s cage for a top-shelf strike. Pastrnak continued to put the Hurricanes through his own personal torture chamber, and fed Danton Heinen for a downright sick pass through the slot and through Andersen to push the Black and Gold lead to three.
Danton Heinen fires home Pastrnak's pass.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 4, 2024
3-0 Bruins just 10:46 into today's game vs. Carolina. pic.twitter.com/3B2vDc1kxp
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The Hurricanes would answer with a 5-on-3 strike in the second period, but it was the closest they came to making this one a game, as the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman stood tall in the cage and finished with a 28-of-29 line in goal. And while Swayman had more than enough support with the three goals at the other end, the Bruins provided him with some extra help by way of an empty-net, long-distance dagger from Hampus Lindholm with 2:11 remaining in the third period of play.
With the win, the Bruins wrapped up their six-game road swing with a more-than-solid 4-2-0 record, and with three straight victories going back to last Saturday’s shootout win over the Capitals.
The victory was also good for Boston’s first regulation win in Carolina since Oct. 30, 2018.
Jim Montgomery’s club returns to action Saturday afternoon against the Panthers.
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