Hurricanes

A breathtaking Rob Valetini try has helped the Brumbies take down a New Zealand opponent for a second straight week, knocking off the Hurricanes 42-25 at ...

The Hurricanes are now 5-5 for the season. The win improves the Brumbies to 9-1 for the Super Rugby Pacific season, with an impressive 2-0 start to their schedule facing Kiwi sides. Brumbies blow away the Hurricanes for second straight win over Kiwi sides

The Hurricanes have fallen to the Brumbies 42-25 in the final Super Rugby Pacific match of Round 11. The touring side were the first to cross over for a try ...

The loss takes the Hurricanes’ record to 5-5 for the season, a clear step behind Kiwi counterparts Blues, Crusaders and Chiefs who join the Brumbies in the top four. The Brumbies were ruthless on attack and defence, scoring five tries to the Hurricanes’ three, proving the deciding factor in their dominant win. The touring side were the first to cross over for a try via a diving effort from centre Peter Umaga-Jensen, however they were unable to withstand the pressure of the dominant Brumbies forwards.

The Carolina Hurricanes had their way with the Boston Bruins this regular season, going 3-0-0 and outscoring them 16-1 but can Carolina overcome Frederik ...

The Hurricanes were 15-5-4 with Raanta in net and Kochetkov has yet to taste his first defeat at the NHL level, but Andersen has been a cheat code against Boston this season. DeBrusk’s name had been mentioned in trade rumours as recently as early March, however the team rewarded him with a two-year extension instead of moving the 25-year-old winger ahead of the deadline. Andersen just earned his second career William M. Jennings Trophy and is eager to rebound from consistent first-round exits with the Maple Leafs. He went 35-14-3 with a .922 save percentage, 2.17 goals-against average and four shutouts in 52 appearances during his first season in Carolina but the big question is when will he be ready in this series? Boston has had Carolina’s post-season number in recent years but with Rod Brind'Amour’s club setting a franchise record for wins and points this season, have the tables turned? Boston ranked second in the league with 36.1 shots on goal per game, yet their 8.5 shooting percentage was third lowest among all 32 teams. Frederik Andersen started and won all three games against Boston this season and was one allowed goal away from having a literal perfect year against them.

Boston Bruins (51-26-5, fourth in the Atlantic Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (54-20-8, first in the Metropolitan Division)

The Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins meet in a first-round NHL playoffs series starting Monday.

“Some of that was a while ago, and I think our team’s in a much better place than when we played them earlier in the year. Carolina enters the postseason having won six straight, scoring four or more goals in five of those. At the same time, it’s a new story, new team.” Bruins captain and longtime No. 1 center Patrice Bergeron can become an unrestricted free agent after 18 seasons with the team. The Hurricanes have gone from a nine-year playoff drought to four straight postseason appearances for the first time since the former Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina in 1997. “It’s something that doesn’t happen often. They have won at least one postseason series each time, starting with reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019. This year’s Hurricanes have franchise records of 54 wins and 116 points. ___ “One of the things that is special is that it’s been a great ride with one organization,” he said. I’m proud of that.” “Obviously it hurts that your season ends and some other team gets to end your season.

BOSTON - Let's be honest. If you look at the numbers from the three meetings between the Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes during the 2021-22 regular season, ...

You're involved in a hockey game in the playoffs. Carolina got out to a 2-0 lead just over six minutes into the game before Bergeron scored on the power play to cut the deficit in half. "They've added and complemented their group not unlike the rest of us that are in the playoffs and tried to do the exact same thing. The Bruins are 5-1 in five previous series against the Hurricanes, with Boston holding a 23-12 edge over 35 games. I think a little bit of the circle of life that all teams go through, you have to develop and integrate players - and they've done that. The 'Canes finished the season first in the NHL on the penalty kill (88%) and goals against (2.44 per game). "But the 3-on-2 and the 4-on-2's catch up to you. Netminder Pyotr Kochetkov is also with the Hurricanes and could back up to start the series. They had a little mini burp there at the end of the year like a lot of team are gonna have a bit of a slide at some point…their play hasn't dropped off." "They play from the first whistle to the last, they're intense, they play with pace. There are not expected to be any lineup changes - or surprises - for Game 1, though Chris Wagner has remained with the club following a strong showing in his first and only game with Boston this year during the regular season finale in Toronto on Friday night. Tuukka [Rask] was in the mix there for a while so there was competition there.

"It's what you need in the playoffs,” said No. 3 center Charlie Coyle.

“You have to be able to get inside, willing to get inside, score greasy goals. It can be a fool’s errand to hunt for that kind of hit, but it’s a sure bet Cassidy’s checklist into Game 1 will include keeping Carolina defensemen constantly under physical pressure. The hit soon led to a string of three Boston goals, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 win and 3-1 series lead. A furious Staal, angry for having his head down prior to the pasting, fired his stick into the floor as he made his way down the runway to the dressing room. The Bruins will want to make this a sandpaper series, while the Hurricanes, especially on the back, will prefer a game of quick outs, fast advances, and O-zone rushes. As veteran center Jordan Staal curled off the right wing wall, the puck on his backhand, a steaming McAvoy obliterated him with a derriere-first check to the chest. “I’ll be able to answer your question once we get into the meat of the series,” he said. It’s not always pretty goals … it’s second, third, and fourth efforts, tips around the net, garbage goals ... you need to get inside and get around their net.” It will come down to forcing the Hurricanes into a game they typically haven’t had to play, making them grind in their own end. In their three meetings, the Hurricanes chewed up the Bruins by a collective score of 16-1, struck five times on 12 power-play chances, and held a lopsided 152:35 to 00:00 advantage in lead time. Perpetually in motion from the opening faceoff, the Hurricanes are fast, aggressive, nearly robotic in their execution. They also killed 88 percent of opposition power plays, also No. 1.

The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs began on Monday, May 2. Today, we preview the series between the Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins.

The 7-1 loss was one of Rask’s four starts (that did not go well), while Ullmark had a dreadful start in the last meeting between the two teams. But both are completely untested in the playoffs and it remains to be seen if they will be capable of backstopping the Bruins on a deep playoff run, or getting them through a tough matchup against a high powered Hurricanes offense. Given the continued excellence of Bergeron and Marchand, a strong coaching staff, and a defense led by one of the league’s best up-and-coming defenseman in Charlie McAvoy and it is not hard to see why they are so dominant defensively. But they have both had some injury issues late in the season, while Andersen (the superior goalie this season) will not be ready for the start of the series and will not be the team’s Game 1 starter. Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta combined to win the Jennings Trophy this season for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL and were everything the Hurricanes could have hoped for and move as a goalie duo this season. The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs began on Monday, May 2.

The visitors were their own worst enemy across the 80 minutes, gifting possession back to the eventual victors through poor handling and getting beaten to ...

One of the better performers for the Hurricanes in what was a lacklustre afternoon as a whole. A couple of missed tackles on his part ended in the Brumbies walking away with points. There were a number of times when he would have been better finding grass than pushing for extra yards near the touch line. A day to forget for the pivot. Landing a goal-line drop out outside the field of play was the final straw before departing for Morgan. Back in the mix after joining Dane Coles and Asafo Aumua on the sidelines for a couple of weeks. Topped the tackle count for visitors and did a decent job in disrupting the Brumbies’ flow. A so-so game from midfielder. Chanced his arm at an intercept which allowed the Brumbies an easy run to seven points. A careless hit on Nic White gifted the hosts three points and a numerical advantage for 10 minutes. Made to look human for the first time this year. Didn’t control the game as well as he has in recent weeks.

Rob Valetini's moment of magic helps the Brumbies down the Hurricanes in Canberra, making it three wins from eight for Australian sides over their Kiwi ...

Salesi Rayasi had burst through the Brumbies' line to start the second half and give the Canes the lead, but they couldn't withstand the Brumbies' barrage. They will face the Chiefs (fourth) and Crusaders (third) in the coming fortnight in what will be a genuine pressure test for their title candidacy. A breathtaking Rob Valetini try has helped the Brumbies take down a New Zealand opponent for a second straight week, knocking off the Hurricanes 42-25 in Canberra.

Could this be the year that the Hurricanes' goaltending is their ace in the hole to get past the Bruins?

If that’s the worst-case for the Hurricanes, rather than the default expectation the way it’s been before, that’s a big win for Carolina. The issue, as it’s always been with a team led by a perennial Selke Trophy winner, is breaking through to get enough chances on those goaltenders to make a difference. Now...will the Hurricanes be able to actually set those shots up without being pestered by the stingy Bruins defense? Here’s the thing, though: the Bruins’ goaltending in a vacuum, even with Rask, hasn't been truly elite for years. The Hurricanes’ defense is notably tighter in front of him. And even though Frederik Andersen was the goalie of record in each of the Hurricanes’ wins in this series during the regular season, what Antti Raanta has done is not to be discounted and still outshines anything the Bruins’ revolving door has offered this season. Swayman is better at tips and deflections, but he’s godawful at wrist shots from the slot. Raanta’s struggles in the low- to mid-slot are largely explained by a vulnerability to the backhand. The Hurricanes have absolutely owned the Bruins this year (to the tune of outscoring them 16-1 with two shutouts in three games!) and it has been due in large part to their goaltending. Incidentally, both goaltenders are above average at stopping deflections in the low slot, which is an area where the Bruins have historically excelled. If I’m the Hurricanes, I’m planning to face Ullmark the majority of the time. Wraparound backhands are an issue for Andersen, but he’s so strong in every other phase of the game that it only knocks him down a peg from otherworldly to well above average overall.

BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes host the Boston Bruins to open the Eastern Conference first round. The teams meet Thursday for the fourth time this season.

“Some of that was a while ago, and I think our team’s in a much better place than when we played them earlier in the year. At the same time, it’s a new story, new team.” Carolina enters the postseason having won six straight, scoring four or more goals in five of those. Bruins captain and longtime No. 1 center Patrice Bergeron can become an unrestricted free agent after 18 seasons with the team. The Hurricanes have gone from a nine-year playoff drought to four straight postseason appearances for the first time since the former Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina in 1997. “It’s something that doesn’t happen often. They have won at least one postseason series each time, starting with reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019. This year’s Hurricanes have franchise records of 54 wins and 116 points. “One of the things that is special is that it’s been a great ride with one organization,” he said. I’m proud of that.” “Obviously it hurts that your season ends and some other team gets to end your season. Yet that run ended in a sweep against the Bruins, who ousted the Hurricanes in a five-game first-round series in the Toronto bubble a year later.