Preview: Bruins desperate to turn series around against Hurricanes in Game 3

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7 PM

Where: TD Garden - Boston, MA

How to follow: NESN, TNT, SN360, TVAS2, 98.5 The Sports Hub, ESPN

Rival SBN site: Canes Country

Know your enemy

• Tony DeAngelo: 0G-4A-4PTS; Nino Niederreiter: 3G-0A-3PTS; Sebastian Aho: 2G-1A-3PTS; Vincent Trocheck: 1G-2A-3PTS; Jaccob Slavin: 0G-3A-3PTS
• Antti Raanta: 1-0-0, 0.89 GAA, .976 save percentage; Pyotr Kochetkov: 1-0-0, 2.30 GAA, .938 save percentage

Game notes

• The Boston Bruins are back home for Game 3 of the first round against the Carolina Hurricanes and will try to recover from a two-game deficit. It’s never great to come home down 0-2 in a playoff series, but that is where the Bruins are and where they will have to dig themselves out of now. It’s not an elimination game, thankfully, and let’s hope the Bruins can find their game fast.
• Game 1 was a physical one and Wednesday’s loss in Game 2 followed suit. The way this series has trended and the chaos of last game, tonight will likely be another heated match.
• There have been glimmers of the Bruins’ game during Games 1 and 2. Despite the score, for most of Game 1, the Bruins were competitive with the Hurricanes. They tried to rally in Game 2’s third period and showed some life after a chaotic game that had them trailing 3-0 within 21 minutes of play.
• It has been discouraging though that the Bruins haven’t been able to find a lead in this series. In the two games combined, they’ve trailed by two or more goals five different times and have only trailed by one score once. Despite outshooting the Hurricanes in both games, the Canes have found the back of their net on their chances.
• Penalties haven’t helped the Bruins’ case this series. Last game the Bruins were shorthanded nine times. Were all of the calls fair? No, but the B’s still couldn’t kill the penalties and 5-on-3s hurt them.
• The Bruins did not practice yesterday, but Bruce Cassidy said Jeremy Swayman will start in net tonight. Swayman was 4-6-0 in his last 10 starts of the regular season. Tonight will be his second postseason game of his young career. Swayman appeared in one game during the 2020-21 playoffs when he relieved Tuukka Rask during Game 5 in the New York Islanders series on June 7, 2021.
• We’ll have to find out later what lines will look like, but I’d expect some shuffling. David Pastrnak was reunited with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand last game and that could likely stick for Game 3.
• Injury updates: After a brutal hit by Andrei Svechnikov during Game 2, Hampus Lindholm is ruled out for tonight. Cassidy said that Lindholm was able to travel home with the team after the game which is encouraging. Mike Reilly will likely slot back in with Lindholm unavailable.
• Other news: Marchand and Derek Forbort were both fined yesterday for separate infractions during Game 2.
• For Carolina, Pyotr Kochetkov will likely be in net tonight. Kochetkov relieved Antti Raanta after he left Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury. Raanta practiced in Raleigh before the team departed, but it’s unclear when he’d be available again. Frederik Andersen also remains out for the Hurricanes.

See ya tonight!