Bruins Vs Hurricanes: Swayman Starts as Boston Closes Road Trip in Raleigh
The bruins vs hurricanes matchup arrives Tuesday night in Raleigh with Boston wrapping up a four-game road trip at Lenovo Center. Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston, and the Bruins are trying to turn a point from Sunday into two in a late-season push.
The game is set for 7 p. m. ET and marks the third and final regular-season meeting between the teams. Carolina enters with 104 points and has already clinched a playoff spot, while Boston sits in the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with 95 points.
Bruins Vs Hurricanes: The lineup picture shifts
Head coach Marco Sturm kept the Bruins off the ice Tuesday morning, replacing a pregame skate with meetings and an outdoor workout. He said the decision was designed to preserve energy after a heavy stretch that included three games in four days and a back-to-back.
Alex Steeves is expected to dress for the first time since March 16 and slot on the third line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. Lukas Reichel will come out, and Sturm said the rest of the lineup stays the same. That keeps the focus on a small adjustment rather than a full reset.
Sturm framed the move as a matter of fit and timing. He said the building is tight, the atmosphere is tough, and the Bruins need to play a grinding style if they want to leave with a result. The coach also said Steeves has been working extremely hard in practice and had simply been waiting for a chance.
What Boston is chasing in Raleigh
Boston enters on the back of a 2-1 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, a game that still gave the club a point. The Bruins are seeking a regulation-style finish to the trip and a stronger step in the standings, while Carolina brings a division-leading record and a locked-in postseason position.
The season series has already swung both ways. Boston beat Carolina 2-1 on Nov. 1, then lost 3-1 on Nov. 17, setting up Tuesday’s final regular-season meeting as a clean tiebreaker of sorts in tone, if not in points.
Immediate reactions and late-game urgency
Sturm said the scheduling and workload shaped his choices. “Switch it up, ” he said. “Playing a lot of hockey… it’s all about tonight. I just want to give the guys the best opportunity to perform here before we head home… it’s not the first time I’ve done it. A lot of times I do it by feel. ”
He added that the group felt it was running low after the recent stretch and that the aim was to save energy for a better performance. He also pointed to the opponent and the building, saying the Bruins need to be ready for a tight, physical night.
For Boston, bruins vs hurricanes is less about ceremony and more about the margin between holding position and letting the trip end flat. With Swayman in goal and Steeves back in the mix, the Bruins will try to make the last stop on the road trip count.
