They snapped their longest losing streak of the season (0-2-2) and set themselves up perfectly for today's mental health break in Florida, where golf and deep-sea fishing junkets await - rewards of rest and relaxation for what has turned into their best regular-season performance since 1970-71.
"A little bit of the monkey is off of our back," said defenseman Shane Hnidy, whose even-strength goal early in the second period snapped a 1-1 tie and proved to be the winner on Glen Wesley Night, the ex-Bruin honored with his No. 2 Carolina sweater lifted to the rafters. "It has been our biggest slide of the year, and you know, it can be hard to get out of them."
For a while in the third period, still clinging to the 2-1 lead Hnidy delivered with a long-range wrister, the Black-and-Gold looked unable to shake their funk. The Hurricanes, fighting to remain playoff-relevant, came out the better amid a flurry of penalties and were working with a four-on-three advantage for 44 seconds when Chuck Kobasew was whistled for hooking at 14:26.
However, the Bruins burned off the four-on-three without allowing a shot, and with 3:48 remaining in regulation, while still killing a five-on-four, Bergeron sent David Krejci off on a breakaway. The speedy penalty killer finished it off with a smart backhand lift past Cam Ward to boost the lead to 3-1.
"I was hoping he could get it through somehow," said Krejci, noting that Bergeron picked the puck from Anton Babchuk in the defensive end and lobbed the pass into the neutral zone. "That was a tough play for him, but he made it. I didn't know I was on a breakaway, but I looked to my right and saw nothing - and then there were no options but to go for it."
The shorthander served as prelude to a Kobasew power-play goal only one minute later, all part of a period that rapidly fell apart for the Hurricanes. Kobasew, working the first-unit power play after a recent leg injury, provided a tip to Zdeno Chara's steaming slapper from the high slot. Bergeron then added the 5-1 closer with 51 seconds left, barreling in alone for a rare and easy shorthanded empty-net goal.
