Need to Know: Bruins vs. Hurricanes

BOSTON - The Bruins, in search of their eighth consecutive victory, will welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to TD Garden on Tuesday night in the teams' first meeting since last May's Eastern Conference Final, which Boston won with a four-game sweep.
"It's the details for us," Sean Kuraly said when asked how to continue the B's winning ways. "When we stick to the details and the little nuances of the game, the big pieces kind of take care of themselves. We trust our game plan, we trust our players. It's kind of why I think it's working right now. We've proven we can do it. We can win games with the group we have and it gives guys a certain comfort level.
"No one's got to step out of their game, no one's got to do more than they are asked. Everyone just does their job and if we do our jobs, we usually get a chance to get the result we want."
Here's everything else you need to know for tonight's tilt (7 p.m. ET on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub):

Jaro 500

Jaroslav Halak will get the start in goal for the Bruins in what will be his 500th NHL game -50 of which have come in Black & Gold. Halak joins Tuukka Rask in reaching that mark this season, making them the only current goaltending duo in the NHL to have both achieved the milestone. The 34-year-old, in his 14th NHL season, will be the 74th goalie in league history to play 500 games.
"He's been excellent for us. I'm sure he could be a No. 1 in this league, I really believe that," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "We're happy to have him in that regard because we feel like we've got two No. 1s."
In two seasons with the Bruins, Halak has been an integral piece of the team's success as he's teamed up with Rask to form, perhaps, the best goalie tandem in the NHL. Halak is 28-12-7 with a .924 save percentage, a 2.34 goals against average, and six shutouts with the Bruins.
This season, he is 6-1-3 with a .930 save percentage (sixth in the NHL) and 2.35 GAA (ninth).
"He's just been a rock in there," said Kuraly. "The team's playing no different no matter who's in there. It's a credit to him how he steps in and plays and sometimes not in the most ideal of situations. He's been just solid and a really good teammate. It's been fun to have him."

Opposing View

Carolina (16-10-1) comes to town in the East's top wild card spot with 33 points, which is 1 point clear of Pittsburgh and 3 points ahead of Toronto. The Hurricanes are 11th in the league in scoring (3.22 goals per game) and eighth in goals allowed (2.81).
They are paced offensively by Andrei Svechnikov (11-18-29 in 27 games), Teuvo Teravainen (7-19-26), and Sebastian Aho (13-9-22). Former Bruins blue liner Dougie Hamilton is also at a point-per-game pace with a line of 10-18-28 in 27 games.
"They play hard, they're a relentless team. We saw it in the playoffs," said Kuraly. "They're a young team with a lot of skill and they've got some guys playing really well right now. Obviously, a well-structured team that will present plenty of challenges. I think it will be a great game."

Bergeron Skates Again

Patrice Bergeron, who will miss his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury, skated on his own again Tuesday morning. Cassidy said that there is no timeline for the center's return, but that he expected Bergeron to travel for next week's road trip - Ottawa, Washington, Tampa, Florida from Dec. 9-14.
"I don't want to pick a date," said Cassidy. "I'm guessing Thursday he's doubtful seeing as we only have one practice. Saturday's probably a better timeline, or as late as Monday. I'm sure he'll be on the trip unless he has a setback. That's the best I can give you right now."

Wait, There's More

Tuesday's Projected Lineup

Brad Marchand - David Krejci - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - Charlie Coyle - Danton Heinen
Anders Bjork - Sean Kuraly - David Backes
Joakim Nordstrom - Par Lindholm - Chris Wagner
Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug - Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelcyk - Connor Clifton
Jaroslav Halak
Tuukka Rask