Hurricanes

■When, where: Tonight, 7, TD Garden. ■TV, radio: NESN, WBZ-FM (98.5). ■Goals: Tuomo Ruutu 15, Jeff Skinner 14, Chad Larose 11, Eric Staal 11, Brandon Sutter 11. ■Assists: Staal 26, Jussi Jokinen 20, Tim Gleason 14, Jamie McBain 14, Skinner 14. ■Goaltending: Cam Ward (18-18-8, 2.87 goals against average), Brian Boucher (0-4-1, 3.27), Justin Peters (0-2-0, 4.58). ■Head to head: This is the last of four meetings. The Hurricanes won the previous three.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Bud has formed off the southwestern coast of Mexico. The Miami-based agency said early Thursday the storm was packing sustained winds of 75 mph and was located in the Pacific Ocean about 385 miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Wind and storm conditions are expected to reach the southwestern coast of Mexico by late Friday. Mexico had issued the tropical storm watch on Wednesday night along the Pacific coast from Punta San Telmo to La Fortuna.

The Carolina Hurricanes re-signed defenseman Joni Pitkanen and forward Patrick Dwyer to multiyear contracts Tuesday. The Hurricanes announced the deals three days before the players could have become unrestricted free agents. Pitkanen agreed to a three-year contract that will pay him $4.5 million per season, the Hurricanes said. Dwyer received a two-year deal and will make $600,000 this season and $650,000 in 2012-13. Pitkanen, 27, led Carolina defensemen last season with 30 assists.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for the coast of Mexico as Hurricane Bud gains strength in the Pacific. The tropical storm warning was in effect early Thursday for Mexico's Pacific coast from Punto Telmo to Cabo Corrientes. A hurricane watch was also issued for that area. Bud's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 90 mph (150 kph) with some more strengthening expected during the day. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says gradual weakening is expected to begin by Friday.

Jacory Harris led quick touchdown drives to start each half and No. 19 Miami dominated host Pittsburgh much like it did when the schools were Big East rivals, winning, 31-3, last night. Harris shook off two interceptions to throw for two scores and 248 yards while finishing 21 of 32. Damien Berry did the rest by running for 87 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Miami (2-1) outgained Pitt, 348-232. The Hurricanes never gave Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri any time to throw in his third college start, and he was pulled in the fourth quarter after completing 8 of 15 passes for 61 yards.

Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will look to score their first win against the Hurricanes tonight. Nathan Horton (concussion) will miss his third straight game. Andrew Ference will return tonight after competing his three-game sitdown for boarding Ryan McDonagh. Puck drop : 7 p.m. TV/radio info : NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama),98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers) Records : Hurricanes 18-25-9, Bruins 32-14-2 Projected Bruins lineup : Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley Brad Marchand-Patrice...

Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan streaked into the Carolina zone, more than 1,200 NHL goals in the bank and only the goaltender standing in the way of another one. Jagr took a pass from Shanahan and ripped a shot over the net, a rare miss for the newest members of the 600-goal club. Despite that miss, Jagr and the Rangers were all smiles after a 4-0 victory last night against the Hurricanes in New York. The Czech star scored twice during another milestone night and Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves in his third career shutout.

Hold off on Miami's return to national prominence. The Hurricanes ran into a huge roadblock: Georgia Tech's triple-option offense. The Yellow Jackets ran No. 23 Miami ragged in a game that could have moved the onetime powerhouse to the cusp of playing for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a spot in a major bowl. Georgia Tech piled up 472 yards on the ground - the second most ever allowed by the Hurricanes - in a 41-23 rout last night in Atlanta. Jonathan Dwyer had 128 yards on just 10 first-half carries, including a 58-yard touchdown.

Rhode Island is honoring a state trooper who perished during Hurricane Carol in 1954. The state is dedicating a new beach pavilion at East Matunuck (muh-TOO'-nuk) State Beach in South Kingstown after Trooper Daniel O'Brien. O'Brien died there while trying to rescue people caught in the storm. The $4.5 million facility features concessions, bathrooms and changing stalls, and a lifeguard tower. The pavilion will draw power from an on-site wind turbine and boasts roof-mounted solar hot-water heaters.

Eric Staal scored in the shootout to lead the Carolina Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 on Thursday night. Chad LaRose scored a power-play goal, and Cam Ward made 30 saves before stopping the Canadiens cold in the tiebreaker to give the Hurricanes their second straight victory and first win in a shootout this season. Blake Geoffrion scored, and Peter Budaj stopped 28 shots for the Canadiens. They were 0 for 7 on the power play before a shootout in which Ward stuffed Lars Eller and David Desharnais and former Hurricane Erik Cole rang the right post on his attempt.

Brandon Sutter and Tuomo Ruutu scored and Cam Ward made 38 saves to lead the Carolina Hurricanes past the Ottawa Senators 2-1 Tuesday night. Jason Spezza scored with 13 seconds left in the third period to spoil Ward's shutout bid. The Hurricanes, long out of postseason contention, ensured the playoff-bound Senators can finish no higher than seventh in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa still needs one point in its final two games to clinch seventh and set up a first-round playoff meeting with the Boston Bruins.

Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists, Martin Brodeur made 22 saves in his third shutout of the season, and the New Jersey Devils clinched a playoff berth by routing the Hurricanes, 5-0, Saturday night in Raleigh, N.C. Petr Sykora added a goal and an assist for the Devils. David Clarkson, Ryan Carter, and Zach Parise also scored, and Patrik Elias had two assists. New Jersey scored three goals in a 3:50 span and had no trouble after that while wrapping up a return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.

Andrew Ladd scored 16 seconds into overtime and the Winnipeg Jets beat Carolina 4-3 on Friday night to eliminate the Hurricanes from playoff contention. Kyle Wellwood scored the tying goal with 4:47 left in regulation and added an assist, while Jim Slater scored and Nik Antropov added a goal in his return to the lineup for the Jets. They trailed 3-1 midway through the second period before rallying to keep their slim postseason hopes alive. The decisive sequence started when Carolina rookie Justin Faulk slipped in the corner at the start of overtime.

Cam Ward stopped 32 shots for his 21st shutout and the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs from playoff contention with a 3-0 win Tuesday night. Jussi Jokinen, Tim Brent and Jay Harrison scored goals for Carolina, which kept slim playoff hopes alive for one more day. The Maple Leafs saw their record fall to 33-35-9 after being shut out for the seventh time this season. Four of those have come in the past 10 games. Carolina took a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Drew Miller scored with 8:25 left and the Detroit Red Wings rallied from three goals down to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Saturday night, snapping a six-game losing streak. Carolina led 4-1 until Henrik Zetterberg cut the Red Wings' deficit to two goals with 3:02 left in the second period. Detroit avoided its first seven-game losing streak since 1991. The Hurricanes have lost two straight after winning four in a row, hurting their slim chances of getting into the Eastern Conference playoffs.

R.J. Umberger had three goals for the third time in his career and Steve Mason stopped 39 shots Friday night to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-1 victory over Carolina, dealing a critical loss to the Hurricanes' diminishing playoff hopes. The Hurricanes, who had won their last four games, dropped seven points behind Buffalo and Washington in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Carolina, 11th in the conference, has just seven games remaining. Vinny Prospal added a goal and an assist, Mark Letestu also scored, Derick Brassard...