Need to Know: Bruins vs. Hurricanes 

BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins are closing out their three-game homestand with a matinee matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Saturday’s 1 p.m. puck drop marks the first time the teams have met this season. The Bruins are looking to build off their two-game win streak, most recently beating the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres on home ice.

​“I just mentioned it to my guys – it’s one of the hottest teams, especially in the first period,” head coach Marco Sturm said of the Hurricanes. “They’re a very aggressive team. They play one way. They play an aggressive way, especially in the first period. Our first periods, sometimes in the afternoon games, were not the best, so we better get ready right away against a good hockey team.”

Marat Khusnutdinov scored the overtime, game-winning goal for the B’s on Thursday, which was his first goal of the season. Khusnutdinov is now centering the first line between David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie in the absence of Elias Lindholm, who suffered a lower-body injury against the Sabres. Sturm said Lindholm is getting an MRI and will be out “a few weeks.”

​“I always say, just play your game. There’s a reason you got promoted to this line. Your game got you here. So just play your game. I will adjust to you, you don’t have to adjust to me,” Pastrnak said of Khusnutdinov. “He’s an awesome guy, great kid in the room, and everybody loves him. He brings such positive energy every single day. We couldn’t be happier for a guy like him.”

Wait, There’s More

• Johnny Beecher returns to the lineup for the Bruins. Beecher last played on Oct. 25 and has one goal through three games this season. The forward will be on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Mikey Eyssimont.
• Jeremy Swayman will start in net for the Bruins. The goaltender’s last start was on Monday against the Ottawa Senators. Swayman has a 3.45 goals against average and a .886 save percentage through seven games. Sturm has been able to rely on both of his netminders so far; Joonas Korpisalo has posted a 3.49 GAA and .882 SV% through six games.
• Jonathan Aspirot remains in the lineup for Boston. The defenseman, who signed a one-year deal with the Bruins in July, made his NHL debut on Tuesday against the New York Islanders. Aspirot has averaged 14:23 of ice time through two games and is skating on the third pair with Henri Jokiharju.

Opposing View

• The Hurricanes are coming off a 6-2 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Mike Reilly, Jordan Martinook, Jackson Blake, Andrei Svechnikov and Logan Stankoven scored for Carolina, and former Providence Bruin Brandon Bussi made 26 saves.
• Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho are tied for most points on the Hurricanes with 11. Jarvis leads the team with seven goals. The forward, who regularly skates on the first line with Aho and Nikolaj Ehlers, will be a game-time decision against the Bruins. Jarvis was helped off the ice during Thursday’s game after blocking a shot.
• Taylor Hall signed a three-year deal with Carolina in April. The forward previously spent three seasons with the Bruins (2020-23). Hall is on the second line with Stankoven and Blake, and has six points (two goals, four assists) through 10 games this year. He is also on the second power-play unit.