That makes five consecutive losses for the Bruins, who are riddled with injuries and demoralized beyond belief. The B's haven't tasted victory since Jan. 14 in San Jose — and with Ryan Miller and the first-place Sabres coming up next, things won't get any easier from here.
The Bruins entered the day in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. By the time they next take the ice, they could find themselves buried as deep as 11th or 12th. The playoffs are rapidly slipping away.
Third period, 2:45, Hurricanes 5-1: The final minutes are ticking away uneventfully. The Hurricanes are maintaining control of the puck for the most part, but they've lost their edge offensively and seem to be skating around passively waiting for time to expire. The Bruins are looking equally lethargic out there, unsurprisingly.
Third period, 5:31, Hurricanes 5-1: The Bruins get another power play, but they're not so lucky the second time around. The B's keep the puck in the Hurricanes' zone, for the most part, and they move the puck well, but the Carolina defenders are a brick wall in front of Ward, and it remains a four-goal lead with time running out on the Bruins here in Raleigh.
Third period, 8:56, Hurricanes 5-1: Better late than never — the Bruins have a goal! The B's go on the offensive with the man advantage, and after Ward makes a nice kick save on a hard slap shot from Blake Wheeler, it's David Krejci who sends one home for the visiting Bruins, putting in the rebound off of Ward's skate. This game's still a lost cause, but 5-1 must feel a whole lot better than 5-0 for these Bruins.
Third period, 12:31, Hurricanes 5-0: For what it's worth (not much), the Bruins survive the power play unscathed. A minute later, they get a man-up opportunity of their own as Stephane Yelle is whistled for interference, much to his own surprise. Maybe if the Bruins make a big push in the next two minutes, they can find themselves buried 5-1 rather than the much worse 5-0.
Third period, 15:40, Hurricanes 5-0: Here comes another Carolina power play — four minutes into the final period, and Mark Stuart gets two minutes for tripping. As if the Hurricanes haven't piled it on enough already. From the looks of Claude Julien and the Boston bench, it looks like the B's are ready to surrender this thing.
Third period, 19:45, Hurricanes 5-0: Well, that was fast. Carolina makes it a 5-0 advantage just 15 seconds into the third period, adding another goal on a 30-foot slap shot by Chad LaRose assisted by Brandon Sutter. The Hurricanes' lead has gone from "pretty much insurmountable" to "definitely insurmountable."
End of second period, Hurricanes 4-0: Not much to report on the final four minutes of the second — the Bruins continue their aggression on the Carolina goal, but Ward remains perfect, and the Hurricanes' defenders to continue to put pressure on the B's forward and keep them from getting good looks at the goal.
This one's looking hopeless. The Bruins' offense has been dead all night — they sure could use Marco Sturm right about now.
Second period, 3:46, Hurricanes 4-0: Boston gets a power play when Rod Brind'Amour is called for holding with 6:02 left in the period, but they fail to come up with a single shot on goal in two minutes. Morris and Johnny Boychuk both get good looks, but both of their shots sail wide. The B's have been anemic on offense in every man-up opportunity they've gotten. That's got to change if the Bruins want to even put a dent in this Carolina lead.
Second period, 6:10, Hurricanes 4-0: A huge struggle breaks out in front of the Carolina goal, and Cam Ward battles with a mob of Bruins forwards and Hurricanes defensemen to keep the puck in front of the red line. In the middle of the fracas, it appears that Patrice Bergeron manages to sneak one just barely over the line — and the light goes off, but the officials rule no goal. After further review, the call stands. This thing is still a shutout.
Second period, 8:10, Hurricanes 4-0: The Bruins get a power-play opportunity after Tom Kostopoulos gets two minutes for sending a puck over the glass — and not only do they come up empty, but the Hurricanes strike again. Right after returning to full strength, Carolina tallies another when Brandon Sutter gets one past Thomas, assisted by Whitney and Niclas Wallin. Thomas is done for the night, for obvious reasons — Tuukka Rask will take over in goal from here on out.
Second period, 11:43, Hurricanes 3-0: A scary moment for the Bruins immediately after the Jokinen goal — Dennis Wideman takes a puck hard to the mouth and has to leave the game. The B's are beaten and bruised — literally, at this point — but they continue to show aggression offensively. Michael Ryder has gotten off a couple of good shots on goal in the past minute, but Ward has been a rock in goal for the Hurricanes. This one's still a shutout.
Second period, 13:21, Hurricanes 3-0: Now it's getting ugly, B's fans. Jokinen takes off down the ice for an unassisted attack on the Boston goal, and he sneaks one past Thomas from 15 feet out for another Carolina goal, making it two in as many minutes. The Bruins have already lost four straight games, and now, against the worst team in the NHL, this one is getting out of hand as well.
Second period, 15:34, Hurricanes 2-0: The Hurricanes strike again. In the fifth minute, Eric Staal breaks through with his second goal of the game, a power-play score with Patrice Bergeron spending two minutes in the box for tripping. Staal's goal, a 19-footer assisted by Jokinen and Joni Pitkanen, puts the Hurricanes firmly in the driver's seat in this one.
Second period, 17:04, Hurricanes 1-0: The Bruins have gotten off a couple of hard shots at Cam Ward here in the second period, but no dice. Ward has now saved all nine Boston shots on goal — the Bruins have been aggressive and physical in their attempts to equalize this game, but Carolina's defense has held strong so far.
End of first period, Hurricanes 1-0: A frustrating first period for the Bruins, in terms of the numbers on the scoreboard at least. The B's have outplayed the Hurricanes for much of the first 20 minutes of his game, controlling the puck and getting off a few good shots at Cam Ward — but they still trail 1-0. Hard to find fault with the way the B's have played so far, with the exception of one lapse from Tim Thomas in goal. We'll have to see if the puck slides the B's way in period number two.
First period, 2:33, Hurricanes 1-0: The Hurricanes have controlled the puck for much of the past couple minutes, but they've been unable to mount any kind of attack on the Bruins' goal. They've kept it in their own zone for the most part, with the B's holding strong at center ice and playing tough, physical hockey to keep the Hurricanes at bay.
First period, 5:14, Hurricanes 1-0: The Hurricanes start to get more aggressive offensively as we move toward the end of the first period — but Chara and Matt Hunwick get physical with the Canes' forwards, landing a couple of hard hits and keeping Carolina from getting any good looks. Thomas has now saved seven of eight attempts in goal for the Bruins, who are looking strong defensively at the moment.
First period, 8:13, Hurricanes 1-0: After Chara gets two minutes for interference, the Hurricanes get a power play and an opportunity to pad their lead. Carolina goes on the offensive during those two minutes, but Thomas holds steady in goal for the Bruins, keeping the aggressive Jussi Jokinen at bay with a couple of nice saves. It's still just 1-0, and the Bruins are back at full strength and ready to make some noise.
First period, 13:36, Hurricanes 1-0: Against the odds, it's Carolina that scores first. The Hurricanes break away with the puck in the middle of the eighth minute, and after Tim Thomas saves a long slap shot from Eric Staal, it's Ray Whitney who breaks through with a backhanded seven-footer for the first goal of the contest. The Bruins are in an early hole despite dominating the first period of this game.
First period, 13:36, 0-0: The Bruins continue to dominate possession of the puck in this first period, spending virtually no time in their own zone, and they intensify their attack on offense. They get a couple of good looks at the Hurricanes' goal, but Carolina goalie Cam Ward has stopped the first three shots he's seen, making good reads to keep the B's off the board.
First period, 17:38, 0-0: The Hurricanes have established their presence physically with a couple of hard hits on Zdeno Chara in the first couple minutes of this game, but the Bruins have been in firm control of the puck so far. A couple of early threats on the Carolina goal have been fruitless — nothing but a couple of missed shots from Mark Recchi and Derek Morris.
2:39 p.m.: The Bruins are in desperate need of a win, and they've come to the right place.
The B's hit the road on this fine Sunday afternoon to take on the Carolina Hurricanes, losers of four of their last five, at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The Bruins, who have themselves lost four straight, could really use a victory down South — they've slipped to fourth place in the Northeast Division, and their status as a legitimate Eastern Conference playoff contender is fading away.
Boston has lost seven of its last eight and eight of its last 10. A little jolt on offense would go a long way, but unfortunately for the Bruins, they're still doubtful to see the return of Marco Sturm, who remains on the shelf with a leg injury.
Shootout or squeaker, slugfest or snoozer — the Bruins will take a win any way they can get it.
