Hurricanes' Ward may again be in goal against Bruins (Jan 8, 2017)
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Another start for Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward is likely to be the case in Sunday's game against the visiting Boston Bruins.
Ward has started the last 15 games for the Hurricanes and his durability and strong play puts him in line to maintain that role.
"He'll be starting if all things go to plan," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "Our schedule has been fairly favorable. There has been a couple of back-to-backs, but nothing ridiculous."
The Bruins might be inclined to stick with goalie Tuukka Rask after he registered a shutout Saturday night with a 25-save outing at Florida.
"We played a very solid defensive game and kept that gap tight in the neutral zone," said Rask, who picked up his 35th career shutout.
The Hurricanes have lost two of their last three games. Less than a week ago in their most-recent home game, they suffered a home loss in regulation for the first time in 12 games. So in order to make headway in the quest to move into playoff position, games such as this against Boston are crucial.
"It's good to play in the division, the best way to make up ground is to play divisional games or games in your conference," said Peters, whose team is opening a four-game homestand against Eastern Conference opponents.
Sunday's game is the second on a four-game road trip for Boston.
The Hurricanes have been solid on faceoffs for most of the season, but this marks a matchup against a Boston team that can be strong in the circle as well.
"We'll have our work cut out for us on faceoffs," Peters said. "Boston has some good centers, so starting with the puck is important in this league. All five guys play a part."
This should mark the home debut in a Carolina jersey for forward Ty Rattie, who was claimed off waivers from St. Louis on Wednesday.
Building off the outcome at Florida with another game in less than 24 hours is crucial for Boston.
"We want to make sure we maintain the same mentality going into (the Carolina game) and hopefully use it as momentum," Bruins defenseman Torey Krug said.
Bruins forward David Backes returned Saturday night after a three-game absence because of a concussion.
Boston defenseman John-Michael Liles, a former Carolina player, is close to returning for the first time since suffering a concussion in November. He has missed 20 games, but did just about everything except make it into the lineup for the Florida game.
"It was a long month," Liles said. "It's never fun because a majority of it you can't do a whole lot. I'm eager and ready to get back into a game."
But with the Bruins posting a shutout of the Panthers, it's unclear if coach Claude Julien will want to alter the lineup.
"They're a real deep team right now," Peters said of the Bruins. "That gives them more options right now if they want to play a different lineup on back-to-back nights."
Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin, a second-year player, is a Boston native who has recorded four points in five career games against the Bruins.
This marks the third and final meeting of the regular season between the teams, all within a five-week period. Each team has a home overtime victory.
