Ward finishes with 37 saves for Carolina, while the Hurricanes struck for three goals on just 21 shots against Tim Thomas.
All three of those goals came on the power play, the first time the Bruins have allowed three power-play goals in a game since April 9, 2009, when the Canadiens went 3 for 7 with the man-advantage. Carolina was 3 for 3 in this one, as Boston's usually strong penalty kill didn't successfully kill off any penalties in this one.
Third Period, 14:00, Hurricanes 3-0: The Bruins at least had some shots on those back-to-back power plays, but they still came up empty and remain down 3-0 as the sides are now back at even strength.
Third Period, 12:00, Hurricanes 3-0: The Bruins will have a four-second 5-on-3 advantage, then continue the power play as Tim Gleason was called for delay of game for clearing the puck over the glass.
Third Period, 10:04, Hurricanes 3-0: The Bruins will get a power-play chance of their own with Joni Pitkanen off for high-sticking.
Third Period, 9:34, Hurricanes 3-0: That's the first time this season that the Bruins have allowed three power-play goals in a game, and Carolina has done it in just three opportunities with the man-advantage.
Third Period, 7:52, Hurricanes 3-0: The Hurricanes have struck again on the power play, stretching the lead to 3-0 as Jussi Jokinen picks up the goal.
Jokinen collected a loose puck in the right slot after Eric Staal was upended in front and Jokinen fired it home for what could be the clincher in this one.
Third Period, 6:26, Hurricanes 2-0: The Bruins will have to kill off a penalty before going back on the attack, as Milan Lucic is sent off for goalie interference after bowling over Ward in the crease.
Boston's penalty kill has been a strength all season, but Carolina is 2 for 2 on the power play in this one.
Third Period, 5:04, Hurricanes 2-0: The Bruins have come out with better energy in the third. They're skating and creating some chances, but the results are still not there as Carolina maintains its two-goal cushion.
Third Period, 1:00, Hurricanes 2-0: Dennis Seidenberg pulls out the spin move to get around Jussi Jokinen at the point and break in down the right side, but it still doesn't produce a goal for the Bruins.
Third Period, 0:00, Hurricanes 2-0: And the final frame is under way here at the Garden, with the Bruins needing some more third-period magic to pull this one out.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins have outscored opponents 26-9 in the third period this year. They'll need to add to that total to pull this one out.
Boston has had its chances, but hasn't been able to get anything past Cam Ward. It doesn't help that they've produced zero shots on two power-play opportunities, while Carolina has converted both of its chances with the man-advantage for the only two goals of the game. Once again, special teams is the difference.
The Bruins continue to lead the shit count overall at 21-15, but it was 9-9 in the second as Carolina weathered Boston's early charge and played the middle frame much more even. The Bruins are even being outhit 17-14 as it is hard to find positives from the first 40 minutes from the Boston perspective.
End Second Period, Hurricanes 2-0:The Bruins will need another big rally in the third to pull this one out, as they head into the second intermission down two goals.
Milan Lucic nearly got one back with a stuff attempt with 20 seconds left, but Ward kept the puck out.
Second Period, 17:41, Hurricanes 2-0: The Bruins hear the boos again as they fail to produce a shot on the power play for the second straight time.
Second Period, 15:41, Hurricanes 2-0: The Bruins will get another chance on the power play as the fourth line once again works hard to draw another call, this one a holding minor on Brandon Sutter.
Tyler Seguin nearly scored on the delayed call, but Ward robbed him on a one-time bid at the left post.
Second Period, 11:09, Hurricanes 2-0: The Hurricanes strike again just before their power play ends, as Tuomo Ruutu tips home a point shot by Ian White.
Eric Staal was also in front providing a screen on Thomas.
Second Period, 9:11, Hurricanes 1-0: The Bruins compound their failed power play by giving Carolina chance of its own as Andrew Ference is sent off for tripping just 10 seconds after Cole got out of the box.
Second Period, 9:01, Hurricanes 1-0: The Bruins not only failed to score on the power play, they didn't even get a shot on goal as their sloppy passing drew boos from the Garden faithful.
Second Period, 7:01, Hurricanes 1-0: Even with a timeout to fix a broken pane of glass giving them time to rest their top line, the Bruins have their second power-play unit of Ryder, Recchi and Seguin up front and Chara and Hunwick on the points out to start this power play.
Second Period, 7:01, Hurricanes 1-0: The Bruins will get their first chance on the power play in this one as Carolina's Erik Cole is sent off for interference.
Big chance here for the Bruins to pull even if they can take advantage of the power play.
Second Period, 5:54, Hurricanes 1-0: Mark Stuart is usually the one dishing out the big hits, but he was just buried in the corner by Carolina's Troy Bodie.
Second Period, 3:06, Hurricanes 1-0: The Bruins continue to press the attack, but still can't get anything past Ward.
The Bruins hold a 17-7 edge in shots.
Second Period, 0:00, Hurricanes 1-0: And we're under way in the second period, with the Bruins looking to answer Carolina's late strike in the first.
First Intermission Notes: The Bruins outshot Carolina 12-6 in the first, but the only shot that went in came off a Carolina stick. So the Bruins will play from behind once again.
Dnaile Paille is getting a chance to prove his worth with Jordan Caron out sick, but he's not exactly making the most of it. He had no shots and one very costly giveaway in the first while playing 4:06. He coughed up the puck on a short-handed break, leading directly to the odd-man rush that produced Carolina's goal.
The reunited top line of Patrice Bergeron between Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic has been Boston's best so far. They've combined for half of the Bruins' 12 shots, with Lucic providing three. They've been quality chances too, which should eventually lead to goals if the they continue to produce such opportunities.
End First Period, Hurricanes 1-0: Despite the Bruins controlling much of the play and holding a 12-6 edge in shots, Carolina takes a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to a late power-play strike.
First Period, 19:44, Hurricanes 1-0: The Hurricanes take advantage of the power play, and a Bruins miscue, to strike first.
The Bruins had a short-handed break, but Paille coughed up the puck. Joe Corvo picked it up and sent Tuomo Ruutu off on a 2-on-1 with Jeff Skinner, who took the pass on the right side and tucked it in behind Thomas.
First Period, 18:51, 0-0: The Bruins get called for the first penalty of the game, as Blake Wheeler is sent off for holding deep in the Carolina zone.
First Period, 16:04, 0-0: The Bruins continue to threaten, with Horton launching a viscous one-time from close range off a feed from Bergeron behind the net.
Ward made the save, but that one looked like it hurt even with all the padding the netminders wear.
First Period, 13:04, 0-0: The Bruins nearly scored there, as Chara sent a point shot in wide and Horton had an open net on the rebound at the right post, but Ward managed to get back across and get a piece of the shot with a highlight reel save.
Wheeler and Ryder each had bids on the shift before that as the Bruins are starting to turn up the pressure. Wheeler hit the outside of the post with his bid.
First Period, 11:24, 0-0: Thomas is finally tested, stopping a long-range sot from the right wing, then smothering the rebound as Patrick Dwyer tried to poke it home.
First Period, 7:44, 0-0: Mark Recchi was recognized for reaching the 1,500-point milestone on Wednesday during a TV timeout.
The veteran forward received a rousing ovation and acknowledged the crowd from the bench in a nice moment.
First Period, 6:41, 0-0: Lucic drives hard to the net for a chance at the left post. Bergeron was poised for a rebound at the top of teh crease but Ward is able to control it.
The Bruins hold a 7-2 edge in shots, but it remains scoreless.
First Period, 5:10, 0-0: Both sides are definitely feeling each other out in the early going, with most of the action in the neutral zone so far as neither team has been able to generate much in the way of real scoring chances.
First Period, 2:50, 0-0: It took nearly three minutes, but we finally have our first shot of the game, with Carolina's Ryan Carter sending in a long shot that Thomas easily turned aside.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: And we're under way at the Garden for this post-holiday matinee.
12 p.m.: Updating the news on Caron. He is not a healthy scratch for this one. He is out with the flu, according to Bruins media relations.
11:50 a.m.: The lineups are in and Jordan Caron is a scratch for this one. Daniel Paille returns to the lineup for Boston.
Adam McQuaid is the scratch on defense once again. Carolina has no extra players to scratch.
Carolina starts old friend Sergei Samsonov up front with Eric Staal and Erik Cole, with Ian White and Joni Pitkanen on defense and Cam Ward in goal.
The Bruins counter with Bergeron between Lucic and Horton, with Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference on defense and Thomas in goal.
11:45 a.m.: Looks like there will be some additional line juggling beyond Wednesday's changes.
Daniel Paille skated with Tyler Seguin and Shawn Thornton in warm-ups, while Brad Marchand was with Greg Campbell and Mark Recchi.
Jordan Caron appears to be a scratch for this one.
The top two lines remained the same as Wednesday's third period, with Patrice Bergeron back between Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton and the old Blake Wheeler-David Krejci-Michael Ryder back together.
11:30 a.m.: The Bruins and Hurricanes have taken the ice for warm-ups here at the Garden, with Tim Thomas and Cam Ward leading their respective clubs out.
That will be the goaltending matchup for this matinee affair.
Claude Julien also indicated before the game that he would stick with the line changes made in the third period on Wednesday for this game.
The rundown on those lines can be found here, and check out our Facing Off feature for a full breakdown of the matchup.
8 a.m.: The Bruins will have to shake off any turkey-induced slumber quickly and put the leftovers on hold as they host Carolina in an early post-holiday matinee at the Garden on Friday.
The Bruins were able to enjoy their Thanksgiving meal a little more after rallying for three third-period goals to beat Florida 3-1 on Wednesday, but they know they can't afford to continue starting slow and expecting to come away with wins on the strength of one period's worth of work.
The Hurricanes have had their own problems, and come in having won just one of their last six games. But they still have a talented squad led by forward Eric Staal (10-14-24 in 21 games) and impressive rookie Jeff Skinner (6-11-17 in 21 games).
Many of the names and faces have changed, but there are still enough players on both sides who remember the bitter second-round playoff series from just two years ago to add some spice to this matchup, and the Bruins would love a little more payback for that overtime loss in Game 7.
The puck drops early at noon, so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
