The Boston Bruins got their first true test of the 2026-27 season on Tuesday night when they visited the Carolina Hurricanes in an early-season showdown of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. In the end, there is a significant gap between the top two teams in terms of record in the Eastern Conference.
Second-year head coach Marco Sturm was looking forward to the matchup, and in the end, Carolina held the Bruins to just 14 shots after allowing a power-play goal to Pavel Zacha early in the game, they kept the Black and Gold off the scoreboard for a 2-1 win. Here are four takeaways after the Bruins fell to 9-3-1 on the season.
Fans treated to a heavyweight first-period bout
Before we get into the meat of the play on the ice, most fans love a good ol hockey fight, and boy, Tanner Jeannot and Nicolas Deslauriers gave fans a treat. With 6:05 left in the first period, Jeannot cleared the puck out of the Bruins' defensive end, and the whistle quickly blew. The two tough guys went blow for blow for a good amount of time. It was something that brought back memories of old days for fans old enough to remember when fighting was more common in the sport.
Morgan Geekie again gets denied with some golden scoring chances
After practice on Monday at Warrior Ice Arena, before the Black and Gold flew down to Raleigh, one talking point was Morgan Geekie's trouble finding the back of the net this season. He spoke on it, and so did Sturm. Of course, both said all the right things, and Geekie is too good a goal-scorer to stay stuck on one for too long.
Against Carolina, netminder Pyotr Kochetkov robbed him twice in the first period. The first one was on the second Black and Gold power play of the opening period, when a cross-ice pass was one-timed by Geekie, but Kochetkov made a nice save, going side to side. Then a few minutes later, Geekie was stopped again on a tip attempt at the top of the crease
Bruins get an eye-opening look at the Hurricanes suffocating style
When you play Carolina, you need to be ready for pressure all over the ice. Their forecheck is one of the best in the NHL, and they activate their defense with their speed. However, after surviving nearly all of the first period without getting burned by a mistake, rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet had a costly turnover that led to the game-tying goal.
He lost possession of the puck behind the net, and Jackson Blake ended up cutting to the front of the net and beating Swayman in close with 52 seconds left in the period. Just a backbreaker. If anything, this was a learning experience for the young players about what to expect against the Stanley Cup champs. Carolina is still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Bruins lose the game by a matter of inches
Carolina's style was a wake-up call for the Bruins, and they saw how the relentless speed and constant pressure paid off. Boston went nearly 20 minutes of game time, from 12:19 of the second period to just under 12 minutes left in the third. They had to work for everything they got. Matthew Poitras made a move and had an open net and hit the post. Kochetkov thought it was in.
Then, not more than a minute later, the Hurricanes buried the game-winner when Sebastian Aho scored on a 2-on-1. When they say that hockey is a game of inches, it really is a game of inches. However, when you're constantly playing on your heels, games that are going like Tuesday will end the way it, the Bruins frustrated.
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