• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bruins aim to bounce back in postseason race

Feb 12, 2008 - 2:57 PM Carolina (27-27-4) at Boston (28-22-5) 7:00 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Losses in two of their last three games have left the Boston Bruins teetering on the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

The Bruins will try to improve their position when they host another team with playoff aspirations - the Carolina Hurricanes - on Tuesday.

The Bruins won eight of 12 games in January to move solidly into postseason contention in the Eastern Conference.

But February has been a different story, as Boston has dropped three of its first four games this month to fall into the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, one point ahead of the Buffalo Sabres (26-21-8).

The Bruins dropped a 6-3 decision to the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Tim Thomas allowed six goals on 27 shots - just the seventh time this season that the netminder had allowed four or more goals in a contest.

The Hurricanes are in the midst of their own slide, losing three of their last four contests to fall out of first place in the Southeast Division.

With the parity in the Southeast, just one team will likely make the playoffs from the division, and Carolina currently sits one point behind the Washington Capitals (27-25-5) for first place.

The Hurricanes dropped a 6-1 decision to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. It marked the fourth straight game that Carolina, the highest scoring team in the division, failed to score more than two goals.

Carolina won the first two meetings of the season between the teams, including a 1-0 shutout on January 8.