Bruins’ confidence rises before of showdown with Canes
The Boston Bruins will try to win their fifth straight game Tuesday night when they face the Carolina Hurricanes in their second encounter in less than a week.
Boston (46-17-15, 107 points) finished its previous six-game road trip with a 4-1 victory over Carolina (49-22-7, 105 points) last Thursday and has only played once since, defeating Atlantic Division opponent Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime on Saturday.
Recent victories against playoff opponents have boosted confidence in a veteran Bruins roster.
“It makes you feel good,” forward Charlie Coyle explained. “It gives you confidence as a squad to win those games, first and foremost, but also to do it and play the way we want to and know how to play. There are still things we may learn from, but the ability to recover from little setbacks demonstrates that we have learnt.”
Boston’s Jesper Boqvist scored the winning goal on Saturday. It was his sixth of the season, increasing the team’s advantage over Florida in the division standings to five points.
The Bruins’ wins in this period have come in a variety of ways, including one in overtime and one in a shootout, as well as comfortable victories over the Hurricanes and Nashville Predators.
“I (like) the way we’ve grown and matured as a team here throughout the year and how we’ve been able to win games in the last stretch here,” Jim Montgomery, the coach of the Boston Bruins, stated. “We’re just sticking with the process, we’re staying in the moment, we’re on to the next shift.”
Montgomery has appreciated how Boqvist, a 25-year-old in his first season with Boston, has formed a line with Jake DeBrusk and Trent Frederic.
“We like the speed of JD and Boqvist together,” Montgomery remarked. “We think that can be an added weapon on our third line.”
Carolina has won two home games since last week’s loss to Boston, defeating the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Friday and the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 on Sunday. These results have brought them within five points of the New York Rangers for the Metropolitan Division lead.
“We’re trying to do our job, get ourselves going,” said Teuvo Teravainen, who scored and assisted against Columbus to reach 50 points this season.
Carolina played its final home game of the regular season on Sunday, before embarking on a four-game road trip.
Since returning from a 50-game hiatus due to a blood clotting issue, Frederik Andersen has provided superb goaltending for the Hurricanes. He is 8-1-0 with a 1.22 GAA during that time, including a 23-save shutout against Columbus, his second in three games.
“He’s been really solid since he’s come back,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He is steady. “He’s very calm back there, which I believe helps.”
The Hurricanes have recently signed youngsters on entry-level contracts, including forward Bradly Nadeau and defenseman Scott Morrow, who ended their collegiate seasons at Maine and UMass.
Nadeau joined the squad for practice on Monday, only one day after signing. Morrow did the same thing last week.
“I think they’re all for potential (NHL games down the stretch),” Brind’Amour explained. “We’ll see where it all kind of shakes out here.”
