Kochetkov makes 29 saves, Hurricanes defeat Bruins

BOSTON -- Pyotr Kochetkov made 29 saves, and the Carolina Hurricanes stayed hot with a 3-1 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Monday.

“I felt really good today,” Kochetkov said. “It was a good team win. ... Every game, forwards, defensemen, everyone helps. There are no surprises. We have a system and guys always do well. I’m very excited to play for the guys because the guys help me every night.”

Kochetkov is 4-0-0 with a 1.70 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and one shutout in five games (four starts) this season. He missed Carolina' first 11 games because of a lower-body injury he sustained during the preseason.

“He was great,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “He’s been great for us since he got back (on Nov. 4). He made some key saves and gave us a great chance to win. It was a tough one to give up at the end for him when it was looking like a shutout, but obviously he played a great game for us.”

Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist, and Staal and Mark Jankowski also scored for the Hurricanes (13-5-1), who are 6-1-1 in their past eight games. Joel Nystrom had two assists for his first multipoint NHL game.

Riley Tufte scored, and Jeremy Swayman made 29 saves for the Bruins (12-9-0), who had their six-game home winning streak end.

“We felt it in the morning, we felt it before the game. It was just a slow day today,” Boston coach Marco Sturm said. “I could see it in their eyes, mentally, physically not 100 percent today, that’s for sure.”

The Bruins played without defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who may need surgery after he was hit in the face with the puck midway through the second period of a 3-2 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Forwards Viktor Arvidsson (undisclosed) and Casey Mittelstadt (lower body) also missed the game after each was placed on injured reserve earlier in the day.

“We’ve had a great next-man-up mentality, and anyone who is in this lineup will do their job," Swayman said. "So, I’m really proud of the guys who have stepped in and played their role well."

Staal gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 8:25 of the second period. While warding off Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke in front, he was able to knock in the rebound of Nystrom's shot with one hand at the right post.

“I was just trying to get to the net,” Staal said. “Usually [Jordan Martinook] beats me there, so I got there first, and sometimes those bounces go either way, and I got my arm on it before anybody else did, and I was fortunate enough to have a little lane there and sneak it in.”

Jankowski scored his first of the season to make it 2-0 at 13:34. Hall's initial shot hit Jankowski as he was cutting across the crease, and the forward was able to quickly locate the rebound and lift a shot in over Swayman's blocker.

Hall then extended the lead to 3-0 at 17:27 of the third period. A rolling puck hopped over Nikita Zadorov's stick in the neutral zone, and Hall picked it up and skated down the right wing before cutting toward the net and tucking a shot past Swayman's right pad while falling to the ice.

Hall has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past six games.

“When you’re up 2-0 you want to keep the foot on the gas, you want to be smart where you are on the ice, (and) you want to be above their players," Hall said. "But at the same time, if you see a chance to create offense you’ve got to do that. That’s in our DNA as attackers, so the best way to defend is to go play in their end and force them to come 200 feet, and we did that well.”

Tufte scored a power-play goal with 10 seconds remaining for the 3-1 final.

“That was a real solid team game for us,” Hall said. “The schedule has been pretty crazy, so for us to come out and play as well as we did, just real solid hockey, winning hockey, and that’s what you have to have when you come into a barn like this.”