The Boston Bruins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 at TD Garden on Saturday, extending their win streak to three games. Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves in net, while Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson scored the goals for Boston. The Hurricanes, who have lost three of their last four, got a late goal from Alexander Nikishin but could not tie the game.
The Bruins improved to 7-7-0 with the victory, winning four of their last five games, while the Hurricanes fell to 7-4-0. Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman bounced back from a tough outing against Ottawa, stopping 28 of 29 shots. "Really good," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said of Swayman. "It doesn't really surprise me. I expected him to be just like he was today -- outstanding."
The game remained scoreless through two periods, with the Bruins holding a strong defensive structure. Boston struck first in the third at 1:27 when Mittelstadt scored his fourth goal of the season, tipping a pass from Charlie McAvoy with Pavel Zacha earning the secondary assist. McAvoy, who had two assists, joined the rush effectively, as instructed by Sturm. "I don't want them to lead the rush," Sturm explained. "I want them to join the rush... he definitely picked the right time today."
Arvidsson made it 2-0 at 5:05, converting a breakaway set up by Mittelstadt for his third goal in the last week. "We played a really good team and played a really solid game," Arvidsson said.
Carolina pulled Frederik Andersen, who made 20 saves, for an extra attacker late. Nikishin cut the deficit to 2-1 at 17:11 with a slap shot from the slot. "We actually got better as the game went on," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "The first period, they only had 11 shots on net... The problem is the two (goals) that we gave up, our 'D' got a little too aggressive."
Hurricanes center Jordan Staal added, "We didn't create enough. We have to be more aware." The Bruins held on for the win, showcasing improved structure for 60 minutes, according to Sturm.
Notes: McAvoy's first assist was his 249th, surpassing Dallas Smith for sixth in Bruins history. Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis returned after blocking a shot in a prior game, recording five shots in 17:20 of ice time.
