The Bruins (43-26-9, 95 points) have lost three games in a row, including Sunday’s 2-1 overtime setback at Philadelphia. They’re still in good shape in terms of the playoff race, but they have work to do to secure a postseason spot.
“I thought it was a huge point for us,” Boston coach Marco Sturm said. “I’ll definitely take that one.”
Boston is 0-2-1 on a road trip that ends Tuesday in Raleigh. The Bruins have scored a total of three goals in those games.
Get Starting Point
Sturm noted he’s a bit concerned about the total shot attempts after the Bruins were credited with 19 shots.
“We’ve got to find ways,” he said. “We still pass up opportunities. I don’t know, for some reason.”
Pavel Zacha said the Bruins need to be able to adjust.
“I think now we’re looking now a lot for quality of shots instead of quantity,” Zacha said. “Sometimes when it’s not going our way, I think we have to kind of switch our mindset. Going to the net, shooting more pucks, we talk about it, we just don’t do it in the games yet.”
Can the Bruins get back to winning ways? Here’s the preview.
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, N.C.
TV, radio: NESN+, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Carolina -185. O/U: 6.5.
BRUINS
Season record: 43-26-9. vs. spread: 50-28. Over/under: 42-35, 1 push
Last 10 games: 6-3-1. vs. spread: 7-3. Over/under: 6-4
HURRICANES
Season record: 49-22-6. vs. spread: 29-48. Over/under: 42-34, 1 push
Last 10 games: 7-3-0. vs. spread: 4-6. Over/under: 7-3
TEAM STATISTICS
Goals scored: Boston 255, Carolina 270
Goals allowed: Boston 237, Carolina 225
Power play: Boston 23.7%, Carolina 24.7%
Penalty minutes: Boston 958, Carolina 603
Penalty kill: Boston 76.5%, Carolina 80.3%
Faceoffs won: Boston 52.9%, Carolina 50.3%
Stat of the day: First-year Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers has reached 65 points for his highest single-season total in his 11-year NHL career.
Notes: A day off Monday was been sorely needed for the Bruins, who will have three more days off following Tuesday’s contest. Sturm said the players need to be ready to take advantage of the situation. “This is the time to show up,” Sturm said. … Carolina has played five straight games against playoff-bound or playoff-contending teams. “It’s a good test for what we’re going to see,” Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall, a former Bruin, said. “[These teams] have that desperation, and we’re going to have to match that in a couple of weeks.” … Carolina captain Jordan Staal didn’t play Sunday because of undisclosed reasons, so his availability will be notable in advance of Tuesday’s game.
Cam Kerry can be reached at [email protected].
