Showing posts with label Eastern Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eastern Conference. Show all posts
Friday, July 12, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
2013 NHL Entry Draft presents many possibilities
It wouldn't be surprising if the Carolina Hurricanes along with every other team in the National Hockey League have drawn up more contingency plans than they ever have for the upcoming 2013 NHL Entry Draft that will take place in Newark, N.J. on Sunday.
Sitting with the fifth overall pick, Carolina sits far enough down that depending on how Colorado, Florida, Tampa Bay and Nashville make their selections, they could end up getting a gift of a pick without ever planning on it, or at least only as part of the long shot plan that they've kept at the bottom of the pile.
No doubt the drama that this year's crop of young talent, that has been identified as 'deep', has presented has kept teams busy formulating and finalizing their strategy since the end of the regular season and even before then.
Depending on what happens on Sunday, new plans may be drawn up as a result of the buzz and talk that is growing daily.
Not to be forgotten is the quiet period that has occurred leading up to the draft, devoid of rampant trades and re-signings, even as the free agency signing deadline approaches a week later than in years past.
Though June 30th usually presents the time for all NHL clubs to empty the purse strings with free agent signings after making their investment in their youth corps on draft day, this year's 'selection Sunday' may actually involve an electric, one-stop shopping affair that will have heads spinning.
It's a buyer's market that is full of inventory and the flea market mentality of roaming the tables to not only talk of trading picks, but veteran players as well, can make any hockey executive and fan equally excited of the possibilities that exist to make their team better.
Hang on, this could be the most exciting NHL draft day held to date.
Recent news from the Carolina Hurricanes Examiner on Examiner.com:
Sitting with the fifth overall pick, Carolina sits far enough down that depending on how Colorado, Florida, Tampa Bay and Nashville make their selections, they could end up getting a gift of a pick without ever planning on it, or at least only as part of the long shot plan that they've kept at the bottom of the pile.
No doubt the drama that this year's crop of young talent, that has been identified as 'deep', has presented has kept teams busy formulating and finalizing their strategy since the end of the regular season and even before then.
Depending on what happens on Sunday, new plans may be drawn up as a result of the buzz and talk that is growing daily.
Not to be forgotten is the quiet period that has occurred leading up to the draft, devoid of rampant trades and re-signings, even as the free agency signing deadline approaches a week later than in years past.
Though June 30th usually presents the time for all NHL clubs to empty the purse strings with free agent signings after making their investment in their youth corps on draft day, this year's 'selection Sunday' may actually involve an electric, one-stop shopping affair that will have heads spinning.
It's a buyer's market that is full of inventory and the flea market mentality of roaming the tables to not only talk of trading picks, but veteran players as well, can make any hockey executive and fan equally excited of the possibilities that exist to make their team better.
Hang on, this could be the most exciting NHL draft day held to date.
2013 NHL Entry Draft - Team order of selection - Rounds 1-7
NHL Entry Draft Central
Follow @pksport for updates on Draft Day
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Recent news from the Carolina Hurricanes Examiner on Examiner.com:
Friday, June 7, 2013
Distant memories and looking ahead for Hurricanes
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| Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal models the team's new jersey - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
Recent hockey news from the Carolina Hurricanes Examiner on Examiner.com:
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Hockey Night in Raleigh: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers
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| Carolina Hurricanes - Staal brothers start vs. New York Rangers - PKS Consulting LLC |
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Game Notes:
The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Rangers at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday.
It isthe third and final game of a three-game series between the teams this season.
The Hurricanes fell to the Rangers 2-1 in a shootout on Mar. 18 at Madison Square Garden, but seek to continue their current two-game win streak in front of their fans to end the season on as high a note as possible considering they will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
The story of the night is that Jared Staal, younger brother of captain Eric and assistant captain Jordan, will start in his first career NHL game after being recalled from Carolina's AHL affiliate club, the Charlotte Checkers.
All three Staals are part of the starting lineup with Justin Faulk and Tim Gleason backing them up with Dan Ellis starting in net.
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Commentary for each period will follow on the hour.
Follow on Twitter @pksport for colorful thoughts & commentary - share as you like.
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Before the puck drops:
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1st Period
It all started fine with all three Staal brothers - Eric, Jordan, and Jared - starting the game for the Hurricanes.
They became a part of NHL history in doing so, and everyone in attendance felt good as the puck finally hit the ice to begin the last home game of the season in Raleigh.
For Carolina, the opportunity to complicate things for the Rangers who need to win to clinch a playoff spot, would be motivation enough in addition to extending their recent modest two-game win streak.
However, the Rangers were all business throughout the period as they outshot and outscored the Hurricanes, leading 2-0 as both teams went to their dressing rooms.
Derek Stepan opened the game's scoring at 3:19 with a top-shelf shot that beat Carolina goaltender Dan Ellis.
The Hurricanes had their share of opportunities to score on Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist, but he was well-positioned to turn each one away, including during Carolina's lone power play of the period.
Derick Brassard extended the Rangers' lead as he cleaned up a rebound from a scramble in front of Ellis with 4:08 left in the period.
End of Period: New York 2, Carolina 0
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2nd Period
Even while being outshot 15-4, Carolina managed to capitalize on their opportunities as Jiri Tlusty and Tuomo Ruutu both beat Lundqvist to tie the game by the end of the middle 20 minutes of play.
While on their second power play of the game, Marc-Andre Bergeron found Tlusty in the slot who then slid the puck to Skinner in the corner and shifted to Lundqvist's right.
Skinner made a tape-to-tape return pass to Tlusty who then scored his 22nd goal of the season at the 4:51 mark.
Exactly three minutes later, Hurricanes grinder Kevin Westgarth worked along the right boards in the neutral zone and pushed the puck forward to Ruutu.
The Finnish forward then crossed the Rangers blue line with Jordan Staal breaking alongside him in the slot.
Using Staal as a decoy, Ruutu's shot handcuffed Lundqvist and found the top corner over the Ranger netminder's stickside shoulder to tie the game 2-2 at 7:51.
The Rangers dominated much of the remainder of the period, but Ellis managed to keep his team in the game with help from his defensemen.
The best chance that New York had to retake the lead was a sequence of play that had captain Ryan Callahan and Derek Stepan take separate shots on goal that were denied by Ellis along with the help of defensemen Bergeron and Jamie McBain.
End of Period: Carolina 2, New York 2
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3rd Period
Carolina comes out fast and furious as after an errant pass hits Tlusty's skate in the Hurricanes end, he breaks out with a pass to Eric Staal.
Skating into the Rangers on a two-on-one, Staal gained the zone with Tlusty and fed him with a cross-slot pass, leaving the Czech sniper alone to face Lundqvsist.
Tlusty tucked the puck above the Rangers goalie's glove hand and put Carolina ahead 3-2, just 49 seconds into the period.
Ellis truly took over as he made save after save to keep the Hurricanes ahead for much of the remainder of regulation time.
However, with Ruutu penalized for tripping with under five minutes to play, a point shot from Brad Richards missed the net, but hit the end boards and ended up in Ellis' crease.
As Ellis moved to find it, the puck entered the net and the score was tied 3-3 with 2:57 to play.
New York continued to apply pressure in the Carolina zone, but the Hurricanes turned away each attempt as the period ended to send the game into overtime.
End of Period: Carolina 3, New York 3
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Overtime:
After peppering Lundqvist with shots, the Hurricanes couldn't defend Ryan Callahan and his shot from the wing beat Ellis up high.
Rangers won and clinched a playoff spot.
Final: New York 4, Carolina 3
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Hockey Night in Raleigh: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders
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| Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
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Game Notes:
The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islanders for the third and final game of the two teams' series this season at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday
The Hurricanes hold a 2-0 record against the Islanders with 6-4 and 4-2 wins over the Islanders earlier in the year.
The Islanders are undefeated in their last 10 games (8-0-2) while the Hurricanes are sporting a 2-7-1 record in their last 10.
Carolina's top line of Jiri Tlusty (5 games), Alex Semin (3 games) and Eric Staal (2 games) are all riding consecutive point scoring streaks while the Islanders' John Tavares is currently ranked third in the NHL for goals scored (26).
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Commentary for each period will follow on the hour.
Follow on Twitter @pksport for colorful thoughts & commentary - share as you like.
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Before the puck drops:
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| Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
Carolina started the game with a few lineup changes as Jordan Staal centered Tuomo Ruutu and Chad LaRose against the Isles top line of John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Brad Boyes.
Jeff Skinner centered a line with Pat Dwyer and Nicolas Blanchard while the team's top line of Eric Staal, Alex Semin, and Jiri Tlusty stayed in tact while seven defensemen suited up against the Islanders.
The Hurricanes scored first as Alex Semin gained the blue line and dropped a pass to Eric Staal and continued along the right boards to Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabakov's left.
As he came out of the corner, Semin got the puck back quickly from Staal and beat Nabokov between the legs to put Carolina ahead 1-0 at 3:57.
Semin's goal extended his current point-scoring streak to four games (3g, 3a).
The Islanders managed to tied the score just over two minutes later as Brad Boyes redirected the puck into the net with his left skate on a pass from Mark Streit.
Both teams traded exceptional scoring chances during the period including a Keith Aucoin shot that cleanly beat Hurricanes netminder Dan Ellis, but couldn't get past the crossbar.
Jordan Staal put Carolina ahead 2-1 with 3:40 left in the period as he redirected a Jay Harrison shot from the point.
For Harrison, it was his first assist since Mar. 12.
End of Period: Carolina 2, New York 1
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2nd Period
The Islanders continued to outshoot the Hurricanes during the period, 14-10, as both teams skated end-to-end and kept Ellis and Nabokov busy.
Each team managed to light the lamp which maintained Carolina's lead as both teams skated off the ice for the second intermission.
New York bulged the twine first as Kyle Okposo outworked Eric Staal by the Hurricanes blue line before emerging from the boards, through the slot and put a shot on Ellis.
The big rebound that resulted allowed a wide-open Josh Bailey to roof the puck into the net to tie the game 2-2 at the 7:34 mark.
Carolina took another ten minutes until they regained the lead as Ruutu carried the puck into the zone along with Pat Dwyer and Jordan Staal who were in close proximity along the right boards.
As Ruutu dumped the puck in, he absorbed an attempted check from Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald and continued on to pick the puck up behind Nabokov's net.
Ruutu fed the puck to Staal on the crease who redirected it to a circling Dwyer and his ensuing shot beat Nabokov through the pads to regain the lead for the Hurricanes with 2:15 remaining in the period.
End of Period: Carolina 3, New York 2
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3rd Period
The Islanders had numerous chances to score in close on Ellis during the first 10 minutes of the period.
Ellis came up with big pad saves on Bailey and Matt Martin as well as using his trapper to pull the puck out of the air a few more times while John Tavares hovered close by.
Carolina had a great opportunity to really put the pressure on the Islanders and distance themselves further with 11:31 to play.
As Nabokov strayed from his net on a scramble for the puck, Ruutu found the loose puck and got a shot off towards a wide-open net, but somehow managed to ring it off the right post, as the score remained 3-2 in the Hurricanes' favor.
Coupled with consistent forechecking and close coverage in the defensive end, Ellis made more stops and smothered the puck on numerous occasions while the Hurricanes applied more pressure on the Islanders in their end as the game entered its latter stages.
However, with 1:01, Tavares finally got on the score sheet as he fed a pass across the top of the crease and found Kyle Okposo who tipped the puck past Ellis to tie the score 3-3.
Subsequently, the goal was credited to Tavares as the puck had deflected off Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk's skate before Okposo could get a stick on it.
In the end the Hurricanes couldn't manage to keep Tavares off the score sheet which contributed to the Islanders sending the game into overtime.
End of Period: Carolina 3, New York 3
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Overtime:
Carolina took control early on as Eric Staal and Semin applied early pressure on Nabokov who had to make two quick saves before the Islanders got it down into the Hurricanes end.
Skinner had a great shot on net with 2:30 to go bu Nabokov made a great right pad save to keep the play going.
Bailey was stoned on a backhand deke attempt on Ellis before Nabokov made another save with two minutes to play.
Staal, Semin, Tlusty and Harrison were on the ice and controlled play for the next 45 seconds until Tavares picked the puck up and snapped a shot towards Ellis who made a tremendous glove save to the roar of the crowd in attendance.
New York maintained possession for much of the remainder of the overtime, but Ellis and Carolina managed to keep the puck out of the net long enough to push the game to a shootout.
End of Period: Carolina 3, New York 3
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Shootout:
New York - 1 - Frans Nielson - no goal / 2 - Brad Boyes - no goal
Carolina - 1- Riley Nash - scores / 2 - Jeff Skinner - scores
Final: Carolina 4, New York 3
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Saturday, April 20, 2013
Hockey Night in Raleigh: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers
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| Philadelphia Flyers - pregame skate - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
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Game Notes:
The Carolina Hurricanes host the Philadelphia Flyers at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday.
Both teams are fighting for respect as each has been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Even though the Flyers have taken both of the two teams' previous games with 5-3 and 4-3 wins, the Hurricanes will not stop in trying to make things right for their fans in Raleigh.
Though winning only two games in their last 18, Carolina has come much closer to getting back into the win column recently after beating the Boston Bruins 4-2 at home last Satureday before coming short against the Ottawa Senators (3-2) and the Winnipeg Jets (4-3 OT) in the Great White North.
The Flyers, have been battling late-season demons as well, having only won two games in their last seven played.
Expect this one to be a physical, end-to-end battle which will have a packed house enjoying one of three final home games to take place during the last week of hockey to be played in the Triangle this season.
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Commentary for each period will follow on the hour after puck drop at 7 p.m.
Follow on Twitter @pksport for colorful thoughts & commentary - share as you like.
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Before the puck drops:
1st Period
The Flyers literally came out flying after the opening puck drop as it took Jakub Voracek only 14 seconds to single handedly to pick up the puck along the boards and almost beat Hurricanes goaltender Justin Peters.
Before Peters could catch his breath, Philadelphia had fired eight shots at him during the first five minutes of play.
However, the Hurricanes quickly got Flyers netminder Steve Mason into the game as he was forced to stop four shots quickly.
As Carolina worked to get another shot on Mason, Jordan Staal mishandled a puck that was caroming off the boards and Philadelphia's Claude Giroux pick the puck up near his blue line and fed a streaking Voracek who went in and beat Peters to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead at the 7:00 mark.
Carolina continued to roll different lines to keep fresh legs on the ice but a penalty to Riley Nash gave the Flyers a power play to continue to keep Peters busy who did a formidable job in keeping the puck out of the net.
After 11 minutes of play, Philadelphia outshot the Hurricanes 13-4.
On an ensuing puck possession, Carolina's forechecking work paid off as Jordan Staal made a hard check on Flyers defenseman Oliver Lauridsen who lost control of the puck along the boards where Hurricanes defender Tim Gleason was able to chip it towards Jeff Skinner in the high slot.
While covered, Skinner made a swipe at the puck that turned out to get enough energy behind it from the top of the right circle to beat Mason high to his glove hand with 6:42 remaining in the period.
Both teams skated to a 1-1 tie for the remainder of the period with the Flyers outshooting the Hurricanes by an 18-8 margin.
End of Period: Carolina 1, Philadelphia 1
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2nd Period
An even busier period for both teams with the Hurricanes coming out early, looking to take the lead.
However, it was the Flyers who took a 2-1 lead at 1:54 after a drop pass from the Hurricanes' Tuomo Ruutu was picked up by the Flyers as his linemates were making a change.
Matt Read carried the puck into the corner to Peters' right and his pass found a streaking Wayne Simmonds who got a stick on the puck to put it into the net while Marc-Andre Bergeron passively covered him.
Carolina tied tied up 2-2 as the work line of Kevin Westgarth, Nicolas Blanchard, and Tim Wallace managed to keep the puck in the Flyers zone.
Westgarth glove a flying puck down and found Wallace along the right boards and his pass to Justin Faulk set up the defenseman's fifth goal of the season as the puck found its way past Mason while Blanchard screened him in front.
While Hurricanes fans were barely finished high-fiving one another, Simmonds put the Flyers ahead 3-2 just over a minute later and with just under 12 minutes remaining to play in the period.
By the time the horn sounded, Peters had turned away another 12 shots while Mason blocked eight in his end.
End of Period: Philadelphia 3, Carolina 2
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3rd Period
As the puck barely got wet from the faceoff to begin the third period, Simmonds took a shot from just in front of the goal line that snuck through Peters’ pads and extended Philadelphia’s lead back to two goals, leading 4-2 at the 48-second mark.
Playing a somewhat pedestrian game, the line of Jiri Tlusty, Eric Staal and Alexander Semin finally connected to bring Carolina to within one goal again just under two minutes later.
Read scored the Flyers final goal at 7:03 with Simmonds tallying the assist to complete a night during which he finished with his first career hat-trick and four-point night.
Trailing by two goals, Carolina was provided with a power play opportunity late in the game as Brayden Schenn’s hooking penalty allowed the Hurricanes to pull Peters in an attempt to get closer with just over two minutes to play.
However, the man-advantage went unrewarded and the Flyers completed the win by scoring another goal as the final horn sounded.
The goal was eventually disallowed as the puck did not cross the goal line in time, but that didn’t matter as the Hurricanes lost at home again.
Final: Philadelphia 5, Carolina 3
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Saturday, April 13, 2013
Hockey Night in Raleigh: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins
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| Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins - PKS Consulting LLC |
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Game Notes:
The Carolina Hurricanes host the the Boston Bruins at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday.
The is the final meeting between the two teams this season with the Bruins winning the two teams' previous games by scores of 5-3 and 6-2.
The Hurricanes' struggles continued with a recent 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday while the Bruins suffered a rare 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders on the same night.
Commentary for each period will follow on the hour.
Follow on Twitter @pksport for colorful thoughts & commentary - share as you like.
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Before the puck drops:
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1st Period
This one started out like so many others have at PNC Arena with end-to-end action as both teams tried to get their offenses going.
It was Boston who got on the board first as a point shot from Matt Bartkowski was tipped in by Milan Lucic past Hurricanes netminder Justin Peters who was screened by the Bruins' forward and defenseman Justin Faulk, who was trying to tie him up.
The play was setup by Jaromir Jagr whose pass from the right corner found Bartkowski open to tee the shot up to help put the Bruins ahead 1-0 at the 6:07 mark.
While the Hurricanes outshot the Bruins 17-4 during the period as both Staal brothers had prime scoring opportunities, the remainder of the period highlighted three different fights and a goal from Jeff Skinner who tied the score at 19:24.
Kevin Westgarth lined up against Shawn Thornton as the two heavyweights danced, jabbed, and punched one another for at least a minute to 90 seconds before they skated off to the penalty box.
Five minutes later , as a play in the Bruins end was whistled down, Hurricanes defenseman Jay Harrison jabbed and poked at Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara before they both tangled in a much shorter exchange to the delight of the crowd full of supporters of both teams.
As the Hurricanes kept possession in the Boston zone on the power play as are result of Lucic taking an interference penalty at the same time of the Harrison/Chara fight, Faulk moved the puck down to Alexander Semin whose shot from Tukka Rask's right side bounced out along the goal line to Skinner who directed the back towards the net and bounced off Rask's back and into the net.
As the period neared an end, recently-called up forward Nicolas Blanchard squared off with the Bruins' Gregory Campbell and the two presented the most engaging matchup of the period.
With numerous punches landed, it was Blanchard who skated away with the decision in that one.
End of Period: Carolina1, Boston 1
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2nd Period
Both teams carried the momentum of the opening period into the the next one with the Bruins turning up the heat on Peters, outshooting Carolina 13-8 during the period.
However, the Hurricanes' efforts in killing off two penalties was key factor to staying close to the Bruins.
Boston took many shots on Peters during their 5-on-3 power play and he capped it off with a tremendous sprawling trapper save on Jaromir Jagr by his left post that kept the score tied 1-1 at the midpoint of the period.
Carolina finally got the opening they needed as defenseman Tim Gleason dumped the puck along the boards and as it circled along the kickplate behind the Boston net, Eric Staal made a quick backhand pass to Jiri Tlusty who found the top corner above Rask's shoulder to put Carolina ahead 2-1 with 5:56 to play.
As play continued to move through the neutral zone, Semin failed to push the puck past Andrew Ference and the turnover contributed towards the Bruins' next goal of the period.
After blocking the puck along the boards at center ice, Ference found an open Tyler Seguin who was all alone due to a poor line change by the Hurricanes defensive pairing of Jamie McBain and Bobby Sanguinetti, and the Bruins forward skated in on the breakaway and snapped the puck high over Peters' glove to tie the game 2-2 with 2:03 left in the period.
End of Period: Carolina 2, Boston 2
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3rd Period
The Hurricanes were able to match the Bruins possession for possession and shot for shot for the first part of the final period.
Peters played a large role in keeping Carolina in the game as he made many spectacular saves, particularly when the Hurricanes were shorthanded.
Jagr was once again the recipient of Peters' brilliant effort as he couldn't beat the netminder on two different occasions during the power play.
Carolina then took advantage of a power play opportunity presented to them when Chris Kelly was called for kneeing McBain by the Bruins blue line along the bench-side boards..
After getting a tap pass from Jordan Staal, defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron gained the blue line and kept the puck in the Bruins zone with pressure on him.
While keeping the puck in along the blue line, Bergeron slide a cross-ice pass to partner Joe Corvo who then rifled a shot over Rask's shoulder to put Carolina ahead 3-2 with 10:24 remaining.
The Bruins continued to put pressure on the Hurricanes for the remainder of the game, but Peters remained sharp while the Hurricanes continued to pepper Rask with shots to buy time.
Tlusty sealed the win with an ENG with 28 seconds to go as the Hurricanes earned their first win in eight games and first at home since Mar. 9.
Final: Carolina 4, Boston 2
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