Boston and Carolina enter Sunday as the top two East teams
The Bruins and the Hurricanes both will be on the second leg of an Eastern Conference back-to-back Sunday when they meet at PNC Arena.
Boston and Carolina each are coming off impressive victories over playoff-bound clubs. The B’s toughed out a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden, while the Canes also protected home ice in a 5-3 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The victories carried added significance for both teams, as Boston claimed the Atlantic Divison and Carolina clinched a Stanley Cup playoff berth.
Sunday will mark the third and final regular-season meeting between the Bruins and the Hurricanes, who split their previous two head-to-head contests on the campaign.
Here are the projected lines and defensive pairings for Sunday’s Boston-Carolina tilt:
BRUINS (56-11-5)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–Jake DeBrusk
Pavel Zacha–David Krejci–David Pastrnak
Tyler Bertuzzi–Charlie Coyle–Trent Frederic
Jakub Lauko–Tomas Nosek–Garnet Hathaway
Hampus Lindholm–Brandon Carlo
Dmitry Orlov–Connor Clifton
Matt Grzelcyk–Charlie McAvoy
Jeremy Swayman
HURRICANES (47-16-8)
Teuvo Teravainen–Sebastian Aho–Martin Necas
Stefan Noesen–Jesperi Kotkaniemi–Seth Jarvis
Jordan Martinook–Jordan Staal–Jesper Fast
Jack Drury–Derek Stepan–Jesse Puljujarvi
Jaccob Slavin–Brent Burns
Brady Skjei–Brett Pesce
Shayne Gostisbehere–Jalen Chatfield
Frederik Andersen