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Sports

Hurricanes hope to start win streak vs. Bruins

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

(SportsNetwork.com) - Struggles on offense have prevented the Carolina Hurricanes from winning consecutive games for nearly two months, but the club hopes to change that on Sunday afternoon when it hosts the Boston Bruins.

The Hurricanes have not enjoyed a winning streak since taking four in a row from Nov. 1-7. They have gone just 7-17-2 since and sit 29th in the NHL with just 1.95 goals per game.

Carolina has not scored more than two goals in six straight outings and has done so only once in its last 16 games. However, two goals were enough on Friday as the Hurricanes bested the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1.

Eric Staal scored for a third game in a row, while brother Jordan Staal had an assist after his wife gave birth to the couple's first child earlier in the day. Brad Malone also lit the lamp and Cam Ward made 23 saves as Carolina snapped a three-game slide.

"I think we did a good job controlling the gaps and containing their big players," said Ward. "We were really good on the penalty kill tonight and that was a big part of winning the game."

Carolina forward Jeff Skinner missed the game with flu-like symptoms and is probable for this contest.

The Hurricanes were unable to break the two-goal mark when they faced the Bruins for the first time this season on Nov. 15 in Boston. Jiri Tlusty scored and Ward had 23 saves in a 2-1 loss, Carolina's fourth in a row and sixth in its last seven meetings with the Bruins.

Ward is 12-14-3 with a 2.70 goals against average, .917 save percentage and three shutouts in his career versus the Bruins.

Tuukka Rask made 33 saves in the win over the Hurricanes, but could give way today to backup Niklas Svedberg, who has never faced Carolina.

Rask was in net on Saturday afternoon, making 23 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators. He yielded the winning goal 44 seconds into overtime as Boston lost its second straight past regulation.

Torey Krug and Brad Marchand scored, while David Krejci assisted on both tallies as the Bruins wrapped a 1-0-2 homestand. They are 4-2-4 in their past 10 games.

"We've played the last two games well enough to win," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. "The effort was there."

Defenseman Adam McQuaid returned to the lineup after missing the previous 18 games with a broken thumb.