After what the Carolina Hurricanes accomplished on an extended road trip, they want to make sure to impress their fans at home as well.
It will have been more than two weeks since the Hurricanes have played on home ice when the Boston Bruins visit for Thursday night’s game at Raleigh, N.C.
Carolina holds a four-game winning streak. The time away from home was well spent by the Hurricanes, who went 5-1-0 on their trip. The 10 points matched the second-best six-game road stretch in franchise history.
“To play the way we’re playing right now, I give the guys a lot of credit,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Not the best circumstances with the road trip being as long as it was.”
Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho tied the franchise record for game-winning goals with his 57th in Monday night’s overtime victory at Vancouver.
“He’s going to have all the records when it’s all said and done,” Brind’Amour said. “He just comes and plays and does it the way we ask him to every night.”
The Bruins have lost four of their last five games, with the lone victory coming in overtime against Toronto. Boston is 1-2-1 in road games.
Yet it might be good for the Bruins to be back on the road. There were boos directed at the team in Tuesday night’s 2-0 home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Offensive woes have been most alarming for the Bruins, who’ve scored more than two goals only once in the last five games. They’ve been shutout victims twice during that span.
“We’re not making plays,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “We’re not doing enough to generate high-danger scoring chances. Whether that’s a will to go to those areas or not the right game plan, we’re all culpable.”
Boston has managed 15 full-strength goals across its first 10 games. Adding to the problems is power-play production that ranks 25th in the NHL.
There haven’t been enough pucks getting to the net in Montgomery’s opinion.
“Quicker puck movement,” he said of a solution.
Charlie Coyle scored 25 goals for Boston last season but has only one so far this season. Montgomery said it takes the top players perking up to make a difference.
“Your best players, your star players, have to carry the weight offensively,” he said.
Hurricanes forward Martin Necas has been particularly productive recently. He has posted three goals and five assists across the last four games.
Necas, who has a team-leading 11 points (four goals, seven assists), has been on a line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and team newcomer Jack Roslovic.
“We’re just trying to play smart,” Necas said. “Carrying the puck … and so far we’re clicking.”
Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen has a lower-body injury that “shouldn’t be too serious,” Brind’Amour said.
Andersen has been rotating with Pyotr Kochetkov.
The Hurricanes called up goalie Spencer Martin from the American Hockey League just in case and he’s likely to be Kochetkov’s backup if Andersen isn’t in uniform.
Last season, Carolina won two of three meetings with the Bruins. The road team won each time. The winning goalies for Carolina were Martin and Kochetkov and Jeremy Swayman was in net for Boston’s victory.
