Tonight's Officials
Referees Tim Peel (20), Furman South (44)
Linesmen Ryan Daisy (81), Brian Murphy (93)
Ntl. Anthem Shea Braceland
TONIGHT’S GAME - The Bruins host the Hurricanes tonight in the 3rd of 3 games between these teams this season and the Hurricanes’ lone visit of the season to TD Garden … The Bruins are 39-17-9 this season and are 24-7-3 on home ice … They are 7-7-2 vs. Metropolitan Division opponents and are 20-13-4 vs. Eastern Conference foes. - The Bruins play game 4 of their current 6-game home stand tonight (3-0-0), continuing with FLA (3/7) & OTT (3/9) … They will then face 7 of their next 8 games on the road with their lone home game in that span 3/16 vs CMB.
MILESTONES APPROACHING - Zdeno Chara is 1 goal short of his 200th NHL goal … He will become just the 21st defenseman in NHL history to reach that milestone. - Torey Krug is 3 points from his 284th career point, which will move him past Craig Janney for the most points in team history by a U.S.-born Bruin.
INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2018-19: 183)
Sean Kuraly – Concussion protocol - Kevan Miller – Upper body - David Pastrnak – 2/12 left thumb surgery
BOSTON vs CAROLINA, LIFETIME SERIES - The Bruins and Hurricanes are meeting for the 203rd time in their histories (includes Carolina as Hartford Whalers) with the Bruins having a 108-71-16-7 record and a 687-585 scoring advantage in those games. - The Bruins are 59-32-7-3 lifetime in 101 home games vs. the Hurricanes franchise with a 346-260 scoring edge in those contests. - The Bruins have split their 2 games vs. Carolina this season so far with a 3-2 win on 10/30 & a 5-3 loss on 12/23 (both in Carolina) … The loss snapped their 16-game point streak at 11-0-5 and they are now 24-7-5 in their last 36 games overall vs. the Hurricanes … They are 7-0-2 in their last 9 vs. Carolina on home ice with their last regulation loss of this series a 3-0 setback on 2/2/2012, & they are 12-3-2 in their last 17 vs. Carolina in Boston. - Fun Fact: The Hurricanes are wearing their Hartford Whalers jerseys for tonight’s game … The Bruins were 70-41-13 in the 124 games played vs. this franchise as Hartford & they were 43-14-6 vs. the Whalers franchise in Boston.
Since just before the start of the new year, the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes have been two of the hottest teams in the NHL.
Riding an impressive 16-game point streak, the Bruins (39-17-9, 87 points) look to keep the visiting Hurricanes (36-23-6, 78 points) from extending their winning stretch to a season-high six games Tuesday night.
According to NHL.com, since Dec. 29, Boston and Carolina have each recorded 43 points. Only league-leading Tampa Bay has posted more (44) during that span.
That's what makes this matchup so intriguing. Currently, the Bruins are second in the Atlantic Division, while the Hurricanes sit third in the Metropolitan.
Following Saturday's gutsy 1-0 victory over New Jersey, Boston is 12-0-4 since a 3-2 regulation-loss to the New York Rangers on Jan. 19. It's the Bruins' longest point streak since an 18-game run (14-0-4) from Dec. 16, 2017-Jan. 25, 2018.
Brad Marchand scored early in the first period, and Tuukka Rask needed just 20 saves for his 44th career shutout Saturday, as Boston extended its home winning streak to a season-high seven games.
"Can't all be pretty ones," Marchand, who has a goal in three straight games and 29 points in his last 20 games, told the Bruins' official website. "At the end of the day, we got two points. In the regular season, that's what you need. I'll take it, and we'll focus on the next one."
Rask has stopped 68 of 70 shots over his last three starts, and has a 1.88 goals-against average during a 14-0-3 stretch as a starter. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy said backup Jaroslav Halak will start Tuesday.
Halak made 42 saves in a 3-2 win at Carolina on Oct. 30. He also owns an 0.97 goals-against average and .966 save percentage while winning his last four starts, the most recent last Tuesday versus San Jose.
The Hurricanes are 0-1-2 in their last three trips to Boston, but beat the Bruins 5-3 at home Dec. 23. Carolina last won six in a row during the 2009-10 season.
Still embracing the "bunch of jerks" jeer from legendary commentator Don Cherry, the Hurricanes are coming off a 4-3 overtime win at Florida on Saturday. Sebastian Aho scored his 27th goal early in the extra session, and Petr Mrazek made 31 saves for Carolina, which blew a 2-0 lead but rallied from down 3-2 to prevail.
"Every game is tough," Aho, who has a goal in three straight games and 22 points in the last 18, told the Hurricanes' official website. "We just have to play all 60 minutes."
Aho has recorded four goals with four assists in his last four games against the Bruins.
Mrazek has a 1.74 goals-against average and .942 save percentage during a four-game winning streak, and he made 27 saves in the December win over Boston. Teammate Curtis McElhinney, meanwhile, owns a 1.48 goals-against average while winning his last four road starts.
According to the Hurricanes, McElhinney (17 wins) and Mrazek (16) are the first pair of goalies in club history with at least 16 victories in the same season.
Marchand has five goals and eight assists in last seven games versus Carolina, which is expected to wear the uniforms of the Hartford Whalers on Tuesday to honor the franchise's past.
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