Game Preview: Bruins vs. Hurricanes

The Canes are back in Raleigh after a successful road trip.

After one of the best road trips in franchise history, the Carolina Hurricanes return to Raleigh for a four-game homestand.

Boston has been a surprise this season. The Bruins have a losing record and have just one win in the last five games.

Two losses over the past week and a half stand out. It took Nashville six games to get their first victory of the season, and they did so in dominant fashion with a 4-0 blanking of the Bs.

On Tuesday night, the Bruins were blanked again. Philadelphia, on the road in Boston, earned just their third win of the season. The Flyers were in last place in the Eastern Conference before their 2-0 victory at TD Garden.

There are two major issues plaguing the Bruins so far this season.

First, the stars are not shining in Boston. David Pastrnak leads the team with eight points, but half of those came during the season’s first three games.

Captain Brad Marchand has just one goal this season. There were some distractions in the media recently. One was an exchange on the bench between him and head coach Jim Montgomery, and the other was rumors with potential contract negotiations. Both were addressed and brushed aside by Marchand, but a losing record can amplify these things.

Boston’s biggest free agent signing over the summer was former Hurricane Elias Lindholm. After tallying five points in the first three games of the season, Lindholm is on a seven-game pointless streak.

Morgan Geekie, another former Cane, was signed by Boston to compete for a top-six role but has just one assist so far this year and was a healthy scratch against Colorado.

The fourth line of Cole Koepke, Mark Kastelic, and John Beecher has been the most productive for Boston. This trio has combined for nine goals while allowing just one.

Top-to-bottom production is the goal for every team. But production only from the fourth line is not a recipe for success. Boston has just 15 five-one-five goals this season, ranking 24th in the NHL.

Boston’s other issue is the power play. At 14.3 percent, the Bruins’ power play ranks 26th in the league.

The struggles on the man advantage were amplified on Tuesday versus Philly. Boston had over a minute and a half of 5-on-3 and managed just one shot. The Bruins had two more power plays that game and did not tally a shot.

The reports from Boston are Montgomery has taken a blender to the lines and power play units. Let’s see if the shake-ups can spur any offense for the Bs.

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Carolina is riding high after an excellent road trip. According to the Canes, the 5-1 record during the six-game road trip was the second-best in franchise history.

Martin Necas has tallied a point in six of eight games this season, including five straight. His four goals are tied for the team lead with newcomer Jack Roslovic.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour announced today that Frederik Andersen is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Pyotr Kochetkov was in the starter’s crease this morning. Expect Spencer Martin to get a start over the next couple of games as the Canes face the struggling Pennsylvania teams.

The formula is working for the Canes right now, so do not expect any lineup changes.

The Canes opened as -170 favorites, and the line has shifted to favor Carolina even more at -185.

The Hurricanes will have a Halloween Costume Contest tonight at the game, so stop by section 109 to win a chance to sound the pregame siren.

Here’s how to check out the action:

• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Location: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
• TV: FanDuel Sports Network South with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst; Hanna Yates, in-game reporter; Shane Willis, analyst.
• Radio: 99.9 The Fan
• Line: ML: CAR -185; PL: CAR -1.5 +142