Boston 4, Carolina 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, February 26, 2016
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Referees:
Gord Dwyer, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen:
Andy McElman, Brandon Gawryletz
Attendance:
17917
By The Sports Xchange
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Goalie Tuukka Rask doesn't mind the workload, and that's a good thing for the Boston Bruins.
He matched his season high with 39 saves in Friday night's 4-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.
"That's what I get paid for, I guess," Rask said.
Left winger Matt Beleskey scored two goals and the Bruins added to their road success.
Rask was consistent throughout the game, posting 17 saves in the third period.
"They had some great opportunities," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "The goalie stood tall for us."
Rask had a number of clutch saves, including handling defenseman Brad Pesce's rocket late in the second period. He improved to 7-3-1 all-time against Carolina.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy, and it wasn't," Rask said.
That might have been one of the keys when the Hurricanes had some extended time in the Boston zone. While the Bruins weren't exactly efficient in moving the puck to the offensive end, at least they were mostly alert.
"We're not breaking down as much as we used to," Rask said. "That's helping me see the puck and control the puck."
Mostly because Rask made sure it wasn't a disappointing result, Julien was able to accept some of the mishaps.
"I'm not disappointed with the win," Julien said. "We played a team that's pretty desperate. ... They were moving the puck and we were kind of watching."
Center Patrice Bergeron and Beleskey scored 2:12 apart in the first period. Beleskey responded to Carolina's goal, restoring the two-goal cushion with a third-period score. Center Brad Marchand added an empty-netter with 13 seconds to play.
The Bruins (34-22-6), who won three of four games overall, improved to 22-7-3 in road games.
Carolina's goal came from Boston native Noah Hanifin, a rookie defenseman who scored three minutes into the third period.
Goalie Cam Ward stopped 18 shots for the Hurricanes. Ward was 3-0-2 in his first five starts this month, but since then he's 2-3-0.
The Hurricanes (28-25-10) lost three of their last four games, scoring a total of seven goals during that stretch.
"It was a good effort," Carolina left winger Jeff Skinner said. "You do have to find ways to win."
Hanifin's power-play goal came in the first of three meetings between the teams this season. It was an unusual goal, with his blast from near the blue line caroming off the boards behind the net and the puck hitting at least one player near the crease before ending up in the net.
The Bruins opened the scoring when Bergeron was rewarded when his shot from the right side resulted in a goal. It came after the Hurricanes failed to clear the puck.
"They capitalized on mistakes," Hurricanes center Eric Staal said. "We weren't able to find enough offense. Definitely enough looks. We were really pushing hard and definitely had some momentum."
Of Bergeron's 23 goals this season, his last six are in road games.
Beleskey's goal came when he retrieved his own pass off the boards as he bolted down the left side. He flung a tough-angle shot toward the net, with the puck bouncing off the far post and going in, giving him his fourth goal in a four-game span.
"Pucks are starting to go in for him," Julien said. "It seems like he is starting to get rewarded now."
Beleskey's second goal came less than 3 1/2 minutes after the Carolina goal. He has two two-goal games in the past three outings.
"He's working really hard and he's getting around the net," Bruins right winger Jimmy Hayes said of Beleskey. "He has shown he can score in this league."
NOTES: Bruins C Patrice Bergeron played in his 800th career NHL game, all with the Bruins. ... Hurricanes C Andrej Nestrasil suffered a back injury Thursday night at the Toronto, ending up in the hospital amid reports that he might be out for the rest of the season. ... C Brad Malone of the Hurricanes cleared waivers then ended up in Friday's lineup. ... LW Nathan Gerbe was in the Carolina lineup for the first time in eight games. ... Fathers of Bruins players were on the trip, marking the second time in less than a week that a visiting team in Carolina had an organized outing for fathers. ... The Bruins played their only road game during a seven-game span. They are back home for Sunday's visit from the Tampa Bay Lightning. ... The Hurricanes stay home for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Blues.
Top Game Performances
Boston |
|
Carolina |
Matt Beleskey 2 |
Points |
Noah Hanifin 1 |
Matt Beleskey 2 |
Goals |
Noah Hanifin 1 |
Patrice Bergeron 1 |
Assists |
Elias Lindholm 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Noah Hanifin 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Tuukka Rask .975 |
Save Percentage |
Cam Ward .857 |
Tuukka Rask 39 |
Saves |
Cam Ward 18 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Boston
|
22 |
4 |
0-1 |
2-3 |
8 |
30 |
Carolina
|
40 |
1 |
1-3 |
1-1 |
4 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Carolina will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .345 after a win and .529 after a loss.
-
Boston will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Bruins have a W/L % of .515 after a win and .586 after a loss.