Despite a two-goal third period from captain Brad Marchand, the Boston Bruins lost 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Things were looking bleak for the Boston Bruins after the second period.
With two shots on net through the first 10 minutes and a power play goal against, the B’s dug themselves in a 2-0 hole heading into the third.
While a two-goal surge from Brad Marchand in the final frame tied things 2-2, a given-up breakaway with under three minutes remaining in regulation secured the 3-2 win for the Carolina Hurricanes Wednesday night at TD Garden.
“We didn’t have a great second. We did a good job regrouping in the third – I thought we played well in the first and the third – but against a team like that, you need a good 60-minute effort,” Marchand said.
The Hurricanes came into Wednesday night with the third-best power play in the league at 27.0 percent, and went 2-for-3 in the opening 40 minutes of play against the Bruins.
Martin Necas gave Carolina a late 1-0 lead in the first period while Brandon Carlo sat in the box for a holding-the-stick penalty. The forward looped around the left circle after receiving a pass from Brady Skjei at the point, and wired it past Linus Ullmark at 18:04 for his 12th goal of the season.
“I think our all around game wasn’t up to par to start. We were kind of late on the puck, I think we needed to be a little more on our toes,” Charlie Coyle, who had one assist, said.
The Hurricanes potted their second power play goal of the night at 11:50 of the middle frame after Morgan Geekie was called for tripping. With bodies in front of the Boston net, forward Teuvo Teravainen worked around Coyle and whacked the puck in by the low slot for the 2-0 advantage.
Marchand gave his team a much-needed boost to open the final stanza. Trent Frederic battled along the boards and pushed the puck across the crease to Marchand who knocked it past Carolina goaltender Spencer Martin for the 2-1 score at 1:30. The tally marked Marchand’s 22nd goal of the season, surpassing his 21 total from 2022-23.
Frederic was moved up to the first line to play with Marchand and Coyle, and logged two assists through 15:00 of total ice time.
“The lines, there wasn’t much going on. I thought Frederic was skating well so that’s why I moved him up there,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “He’s playing real good hockey for us now, and it’s been a long time. He’s earned and deserves the ice time he’s getting.”
The Bruins knotted things 2-2 off Marchand’s second goal of the night and seventh point in the last five games. The captain trailed behind on the rush and was there to tap in Coyle’s rebound at 7:20. However, Carolina forward Jordan Martinook put the game away, 3-2, at 17:33 off a preventable breakaway.
“Game management at the end of the game was not good. That’s what cost us,” Montgomery said. “Defensemen should not be pinching in. It’s 2-2, a shot on net, we’ve got to make sure to keep people in front of us.”
The Bruins now have a quick turnaround. The team will face the Ottawa Senators Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre for a 7 p.m. puck drop in their second-to-last game before the All Star break.
“It’s nice to play because you have an opportunity to kind of bounce back in the win column,” Marchand said. “But at the same time, we’ve always had the mindset that once midnight hits, it’s over.”
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