BOSTON — Zdeno Chara just couldn’t wipe the smile off his face no matter how hard the usually stoic defenseman tried.
Chara had his first career three-goal game and Tim Thomas stopped 31 shots for his seventh shutout to lift the Boston Bruins to a 7-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
“It’s always nice to say I’ve done it — I’ve had a hat trick,” Chara, in his 13th season, said, smiling widely. “I did it.”
Mark Stuart, returning to the lineup after missing 18 games with a broken finger, had a goal in the first period. Gregory Campbell, Patrice Bergeron and Michael Ryder also scored for Boston, which has lost just twice in regulation in its last 13 games (8-2-3).
But the day belonged to the Bruins’ captain. Chara’s first goal gave Boston a 2-0 lead 11:28 into the opening period, chasing Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward. He made it 3-0 with a power-play goal at 15:58.
“He got two early and it was so nice he got the third, but nobody wanted to say anything,” Thomas said. “It was like having a shutout.”
It was the Bruins’ second lopsided win in six days; they shut out Ottawa 6-0 with Thomas in net last Tuesday. It also was the third time in the last four games Boston has scored at least six goals.
