The Carolina Hurricanes opened their four-game homestand with a dominant victory, defeating the Boston Bruins 8-2.
First Period
The Hurricanes had the first good chance of the game when Sebastian Aho cut down the wing towards the net, but he was stopped by Jeremy Swayman. But then on a delayed Boston penalty, Aho found Jack Roslovic in the slot, and he managed to beat Swayman to open the scoring about six minutes in.
However, the Bruins ended up with a four-minute power play after that off high-stick from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, including a 5-on-3 later on the man advantage. Boston managed to capitalize on the opportunity, with Brad Marchandâs pass going off Jaccob Slavinâs skate and in, tying the game.
The Bruins got into penalty trouble of their own from there though, and on a Carolina man advantage with less than three minutes remaining in the frame, Andrei Svechnikov managed to deflect a Shayne Gositsbehere point shot past Swayman, putting the Hurricanes back ahead.
Then with the teams back at even strength, only 38 seconds later, Dmitry Orlov was able to get to a puck off a broken play, with his shot going in off Jackson Blakeâs stick to make it a 3-1 game.
Mark Kastelic then took a penalty right after the goal, and only seven seconds into the man advantage, Martin Necasâ pass redirected off Brandon Carloâs skate and in, putting the Hurricanes up 4-1 through 20 minutes after a flurry of goals.
Second Period
Boston did get one back early in the second period when Andrei Svechnikov couldnât clear the zone, and the puck got out to Hampus Lindholm who made a nice move to get to the slot, then beat Pyotr Kochetkov to cut the lead to two.
But with the Hurricanes back on a power play only about five minutes later, Seth Jarvis put a pass out to Svechnikov who eventually poked it in, reinstating the three-goal lead.
Carolina wasnât done there, and only 41 seconds later, Jordan Martinook stripped a puck off Mason Lohrei on a forecheck, leading to Jack Roslovic goal to make it a 6-2 game. That ended Swaymanâs night as Joonas Korpisalo came into action.
It looked like Boston may have got one back off a point shot that found its way in a little later, but the goal was quickly called off for interference. So after outshooting the Bruins 28-10 through 40 minutes, Carolina held a massive four-goal lead.
Third Period
The Hurricanes didnât sit back in the third period either, outshooting Boston by a 9-5 margin in the frame. Roughly eight minutes in, Sean Walker managed to bury his first goal with the team, when a puck dropped down to him in the slot and he beat Korpisalo.
Then about five minutes later, Jesperi Kotkaniemi picked up his first goal of the year with a nice shot past Korpisalo, and the Hurricanes cruised to the 8-2 win from there.
Takeaways
It was a completely dominant performance from the Hurricanes, taking control early and never letting their foot off the gas. They outshot Boston 37-15, and were the better team pretty much from start to finish.
Martin Necas had four points just on his own, as he continues whatâs been an excellent start to the season. Through nine games, Necas has five goals and 15 points â five points more than any other player on the team.
Jack Roslovic also continues to be a great fit, now at six goals (leading the team). We also got confirmation that Jackson Blake will be sticking with the team going forward, and there should be no hesitation that itâs the right call. Blake has quickly adjusted and the production is already coming, now at three goals and five points this season.
Every player on the team was contributing, with the Hurricanes getting scoring up and down the lineup, but also putting forth a strong defensive effort, really not giving Boston much to work with at all.
The Hurricanes also dominated the special teams battle, capitalizing on three of their five power plays. In the win, they climb to a 29 percent operating rate on the man advantage, ranking sixth in the league.
Itâs another great game from Carolina, who have continued to look very strong since their second game of the season. Riding a five-game win streak, theyâre off to a 7-2-0 start, leaving them now tied with the Washington Capitals for the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference.
Theyâll get a great chance to take another early leap in the standings on Sunday, with their next game coming against the Capitals.
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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