Bruins Win Home Game 4-2, Trail Hurricanes 2-1 in Series

Bruins-Hurricanes Game 3 preview, projected lineups, odds and prediction originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Bruins have taken one back in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at the TD Garden.

The Hurricanes lead Boston 2-1 in the series.

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The Bruins hit a new low point in their 2021-22 season during Wednesday night's Game 2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

Not only did the B's lose 5-2 and fall into an 0-2 hole in their first-round playoff series, they also lost star defenseman Hampus Lindholm to an upper body injury. Lindholm took a massive hit from Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov in the second period, and he's already been ruled out for Game 3.

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One of the few positives for the Bruins is that three of the next four games in the series are at home, where they went 26-13-2 during the regular season and often feed off the emotion from the crowd.

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The Bruins technically aren't facing a must-win matchup Friday night, but in reality it is a must-win scenario. They're not coming back from an 0-3 deficit. The Hurricanes have outscored them 26-4 in five games this season.

If the B's are going to make this a competitive series, it must start Friday. Here's a preview of Bruins-Hurricanes Game 3.

Key storylines

Mike Reilly's time to shine

The Bruins will be without their second-best defenseman for Game 3 after Hampus Lindholm suffered an upper body injury as a result of a massive hit from Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov in Game 2. Lindholm is a two-way star who plays in all situations, and there's no one on Boston's depth chart capable of giving the team that kind of skill set for 20-plus minutes per game (aside from Charlie McAvoy, of course).

Mike Reilly will get the first opportunity to enter the lineup and help replace Lindholm. The 28-year-old defenseman is a smooth-skating, offensively skilled player who can generate offense and initiate breakouts. The issue with Reilly is he often struggles against physical teams that aggressively forecheck. He had issues with the New York Islanders in last season's second-round series, and the Hurricanes play a similar style.

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The Bruins need Reilly to hold his own in the defensive end and help generate scoring chances in the attacking zone by shooting the puck and looking to set up teammates. It's a lot to ask of him, but the B's have no better options on the roster.

Huge Chance for the Rookie

The Bruins are turning to rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman for Game 3. It will be his first ever playoff start. In fact, he will be the first B's goalie not named Tuukka Rask or Tim Thomas to start a postseason game at TD Garden since Andrew Raycroft in 2004.

Swayman had a disappointing end to the regular season. He posted a .895 save percentage and a 3.07 GAA over his last 17 appearances. That said, he did show flashes of brilliance throughout the regular season. For example, Swayman went 5-1-1 in March with a .960 save percentage and a 1.13 GAA.

Linus Ullmark didn't perform poorly in the first two games. The Bruins also didn't play well in front of him -- especially in front of the net where the Hurricanes lived without any resistance -- but at the same time he didn't make a ton of clutch saves late in these games.

The Bruins need a fantastic goaltending performance to win this series. The Hurricanes are a deep, highly skilled team that can score at 5-on-5 and has a strong power play. Average or good goaltending is not going to be enough for Boston.

Swayman gives the Bruins a new look in net and might even provide them a little spark. Making this move at home when the B's aren't facing elimination also is a good spot to throw a rookie into the fire.