The Carolina Hurricanes are still riding the wave.
That’s what forward Nino Niederreiter said the plan was for their game Thursday against the Boston Bruins. Play hard, play smart, do all the little things and “ride the wave” to another victory.
The Canes, with goalie Frederik Andersen again standing tall in net, defeated the Bruins 3-0 at PNC Arena to push their record to 6-0, the best start in franchise history.
Defenseman Tony DeAngelo scored in the first period at even strength and Niederreiter found the net on a second-period power play. Andrei Svechnikov’s empty-net goal in the final minute of regulation was his sixth of the season.
The Canes’ penalty killers were on their game. The Bruins twice had 5-on-3 advantages but Carolina’s hustle and aggressiveness — and Andersen’s calm play in net — kept Boston at bay.
Canes defenseman Ethan Bear put a big hit on Boston’s Brad Marchand in the neutral zone four seconds into the game. That set the tone for the night, signaling it would be a big boys’ kind of game.
But it was a game where the hits came often — 42 in the opening period — and open ice was hard to find. The team pushed and probed, looking for openings.
DeAngelo found one. He bombed a shot from the left point that Swayman could not track, picking up his first goal with the Canes and the first by a Carolina defenseman this season.
Niederreiter, active all night, found another way to get the puck past Swayman on the second-period power play. He got off a shot from the left wing that glanced off Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort in the slot.
Andersen, playing his 399th career game, was credited with the secondary assist on Niederreiter’s goal, the 10th of the goalie’s career. He also had Canes fans chanting “Freddie, Freddie!” in the second period.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi also figured in both of the first two goals, although the winger didn’t find the score sheet on either.
On the first, he made a hustling play in the neutral zone to get the puck in the offensive zone, then went to the front of the net. On the second, he was crashing the net when Niederreiter got off his shot. Both times, the puck came close to hitting Kotkaniemi.
Andersen was tested early when Boston’s Jake DeBrusk got behind DeAngelo and broke in alone in the first period. There were a few flurries by the Bruins in front of the net in the second, but Andersen coolly kept his poise and position and poked away the puck a few times.
Talk about owning a series: before Thursday, the Bruins had taken points in 18 of the past 19 games against Carolina, going 13-1-5, and were 5-1-3 in their last nine road games against the Canes.
The Canes’ last regular-season win over the Bruins a 5-3 victory at PNC Arena on Dec. 23, 2018 and weren’t in Carolina jerseys. It was the first retro Hartford Whalers night at PNC Arena.
Andersen became the first Canes goalie to start six consecutive games since Cam Ward was in net for 11 in a row in October 2009. With Carolina facing the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday to complete their first back-to-back of the season, goalie Antti Raanta could get his first star with the Canes and end Andersen’s streak.
