Hurricanes at Bruins: Preview

Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins
April 5, 2016 - 7:00 pm ET
TD Garden - Boston, MA
Fox Sports Carolinas - 99.9 FM - WRALSportsFan app
SB Nation Rival Blog - Stanley Cup of Chowder

Vital Statistics

*Stats from NHL.com and War on Ice

Game Notes

• Before we get to tonight's preview, we have a signing to announce. Yesterday the Hurricanes agreed to terms with forward Clark Bishop on an entry-level contract. Bishop was selected by the Hurricanes in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, and has served for two years as captain for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He has 129 points (57g, 72a) in 202 career games with Cape Breton, and his Screaming Eagles are currently playing in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs. Additionally Bishop has represented Canada in a number of international tournaments, and has participated in the Canes prospect development camps over the last two summers. The team press release follows below.
• Back to the game at hand, let's recall what happened the last time the Canes played the Bruins, shall we?

[WATCH] Phil Di Giuseppe beats Tuukka Rask in overtime to win it. #Redvolution #CARvsBOShttps://t.co/IN5Teihee6

— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) March 11, 2016

• Unfortunately, Canes fans won't get a chance to see a repeat of Phil DiGiuseppe's most enthusiastic goal celebration, as he remains out of the lineup with an upper body injury. But the other two players in that game-winning sequence will be ones to watch tonight. Noah Hanifin has three points (1g, 2a) in two career games against his hometown team, and Jeff Skinner is riding a two-game point streak and is just two goals shy of 30 for the season.
• The Bruins have three games remaining in the regular season, but if the season ended today, they'd be out of the playoffs: one point behind the Red Wings for third place in the Atlantic division and also one point behind the Flyers for the last wild card spot. Obviously the one point they lost to the Canes on March 10 could be a difference-maker at the moment, and no doubt that's on their minds heading into tonight's game. With a game remaining against the Red Wings, if they win out including tonight, they'll claim a playoff spot.
• The Bruins are coming off a 6-4 loss (all four of their goals unanswered after they spotted a six-goal lead) to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, and they have dropped seven of their last nine games. After a 6-5 Friday win against the Blues, the Bruins have scored 10 goals in their last two games, but they've given up 11. Injuries have been a factor; Dennis Seidenberg practiced with the team yesterday but is questionable for tonight's game after missing both weekend games. Kevan Miller left Friday's game with a lower body injury and did not practice yesterday, and neither did Brett Connolly, who has missed two games with a lower body injury.
• The Bruins are ranked fifth in the league in goals/game, fourth in shots/game, and seventh on the power play, thanks to Patrice Bergeron, with a team-leading 67 points, and Brad Marchand, with a team-leading 36 goals. Three Bruins (Bergeron, David Krejci, and Loui Eriksson) have surpassed 60 points for the season.
• Well, the Canes made it into April still in contention for the playoffs, at least mathematically, but that dream finally ended with Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Blue Jackets. So what's left to accomplish? Playing spoiler for one, and continuing to evaluate young talent for another. Elias Lindholm is going to enter the lineup at center tonight, something head coach Bill Peters had wanted to try before injuries and trades derailed his plans. Sergey Tolchinsky gets another look tonight in his second recall and NHL game. Riley Nash is back in the lineup after missing four games with an upper body injury. Without a full squad at practice, Peters said the forward lines would be determined 'on the plane'. No word as of yet who will be the healthy extra on defense, or who will start in net. Stay tuned to the morning skate for further details.
• Update 12:00 pm: For the Canes, Michal Jordan will be the healthy extra on defense, and Cam Ward gets the nod in net. The Bruins reassigned forward Seth Griffith this morning and recalled defenseman Colin Miller, who will join the lineup along with Kevan Miller, who returns from injury.

Projected Lineups

Hurricanes (4/5 morning skate)

Joakim Nordstrom - Jordan Staal - Patrick Brown
Jeff Skinner - Victor Rask - Riley Nash
Sergey Tolchinsky - Elias Lindholm - Chris Terry
Nathan Gerbe - Jay McClement - Brad Malone

Jaccob Slavin - Justin Faulk
Noah Hanifin - Brett Pesce
Ron Hainsey - Ryan Murphy

Cam Ward
Eddie Lack

Injuries and scratches: James Wisniewski (IR ACL), Andrej Nestrasil (fractured vertebra), Phillip Di Giuseppe (upper body), Michal Jordan (healthy)

Bruins (4/5 morning skate)

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Loui Eriksson
Matt Beleskey - David Krejci - David Pastrnak
Frank Vatrano - Ryan Spooner - Lee Stempniak
Landon Ferraro - Noel Acciari - Jimmy Hayes
Tyler Randell

Zdeno Chara - Kevan Miller
John-Michael Liles - Colin Miller 
Tory Krug - Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Jonas Gustavsson

Injuries and Scratches: Chris Kelly (fractured femur), Brett Connolly (lower body), Dennis Seidenberg (lower body), Joe Morrow (healthy), Zach Trotman (healthy)

Storm Debris

• Canes Gameday Hub [CH.com].
• Bill Peters post-practice media scrum 4/4 [CH.com].
• From his hometown paper, Noah Hanifin is a ready-made rookie in the NHL [Norwood Transcript]
• Five interesting fancy stats and how they could affect the Canes going into next season [Section 328].
• This is an outstanding feature on Kyle Hagel, the Checkers enforcer who fights for literacy in his spare time (MUST read) [Charlotte Observer].

Hurricanes Agree to Terms with Clark Bishop

Hurricanes Agree to Terms with Clark Bishop

2014 fifth-round selection has served as Cape Breton's captain for two seasons
Monday, 04.4.2016 / 11:15 AM ET / News
By Terrell Williams

RALEIGH, NC - Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Clark Bishop on a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Bishop $575,000 in 2016-17, $650,000 in 2017-18 and $650,000 in 2018-19 on the NHL level, or $65,000 per season in the minor leagues. He receives a signing bonus of $210,000.

"Clark has shown improvement in each year of his career with Cape Breton," said Francis. "He is a strong two-way player and a proven leader who has been part of his team's leadership group for three of his four junior seasons."

Bishop, 20, netted 16 goals and added 23 assists for a career-high 39 points in 50 regular-season games for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The St. John's, NF, native served as Cape Breton's team captain for the second-consecutive season after being an alternate captain for the 2012-13 season. The Screaming Eagles currently lead Chicoutimi three games to two in the first round of the 2016 QMJHL playoffs.

Selected by the Hurricanes in the fifth round, 127th overall, of the 2014 NHL Draft, Bishop (6'0", 194 lbs.) has totaled 129 points (57g, 72a) and 227 penalty minutes in 202 career QMJHL games for Cape Breton. He has also participated in several international competitions, winning gold with Canada at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and totaling five points (3g, 2a) in five games for Canada Atlantic at the 2013 U-17 World Hockey Challenge.