Boston Bruins Blown Away By Carolina Hurricanes

On the opening night of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoff series, it's fair to say that everyone from a Bruins persuasion thought that if they were going to be successful in Game 1 against the Hurricanes, they'd need to expose Antti Raanta in goal. He was deemed the weak link. But unfortunately for the Bruins, he deputised well for Frederik Anderson, helping his team on the way to a 5-1 victory.

Anderson is undoubtedly a vital member of the Hurricanes team, but after Raanta acclimatised, he became a figure of frustration for the Bruins, and was integral in not only the Hurricanes winning 5-1, but also taking a crucial 1-0 lead in the best of seven series.

It was a quite unique occasion when the Bruins and Hurricanes met on the ice as it wasn’t only Raanta making his debut in a playoff game. Linus Ullmark, the Bruins goalie, was also doing the same. And the pair didn’t do too badly, with Raanta recording 35 saves to Ullmark’s 20.

As soon as the puck dropped, as you will expect, it was high energy, and the game was playing at frantic speeds, with chances, saves and big hits all happening in the first half of the game. However, it was always going to be the side who could take control of proceedings that would win the day, and that was Carolina.

It may be surprising to learn that when it came to shots, the Bruins were on top, and they did outshoot the Canes. But, when the Hurricanes can out hit and out-faceoff you, it’s only going to lead to one end result. 

With 3:32 remaining on the clock in the second period, Carolina burst into the lead, and this was the boost and momentum they had been looking for. It came via Seth Jarvis, who managed to drive home through Ullmark’s legs, thus bringing the PNC Arena to life.

It wasn’t long before it was 2-0, with 1:22 to go in the second period, but the Bruins did manage to hit back through Taylor Hall early in the third. It was game on. And, Hall will still be kicking himself after hitting the post soon after, as it could have been that all-important leveller.

But, after some hairy moments, it was the Canes who took control of the game once again. With the Bruins pushing hard to tie the match, it opened the door for a two-on-one in the Hurricane's favour, with Teuvo Teravainen making no mistake as he drove a shot into the top right corner.

Vincent Trocheck, who had been on hand to feed Teravainen to make it 3-1, got on the scoresheet himself to add a fourth, which very much sealed the victory and the 1-0 series lead. But, there was still time for an empty netter, which put the icing on the Cane's cake, and deepened the Bruins' misery on the night.