Alex Steeves (left) rejoined the Bruins lineup alongside Fraser Minten.
Alex Steeves (left) rejoined the Bruins lineup alongside Fraser Minten.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
RALEIGH, N.C. — Alex Steeves was back in the lineup for the Bruins on Tuesday night against the Hurricanes, his first game action since March 16 and only his fourth appearance since the league reopened for business out of the February Olympic break.
Steeves, 26, increasingly fell out of the forward rotation after the trade deadline, not long after the Bruins acquired speedy winger Lukas Reichel. Coach Marco Sturm of late has divvied up game assignments between Reichel and veteran Mikey Eyssimont, but opted for Steeves vs. Carolina, playing him with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov on a No. 3 line to start the night.
“It’s more about opponent,” said Sturm, noting his lineup options and his decision to draw Steeves back into the action. “It’s more about [what city] you play — it’s a tight building here, a tough building, that means you [have to] put your grinding boots on. I thought Steevie has been excellent in practice, working extremely hard and we just couldn’t find him a game.
“This will be a good fit for him.”
Steeves began the night with a production line of 9-7–16 in 41 games. Signed away from the Maple Leafs as a free agent last July, he showed some notable scoring spark early this season, encouraging management to sign him to his first one-way contract in the NHL, worth a guaranteed $3.25 million over the two seasons through 2027-28.
Prior to suiting up against the Hurricanes, his last goal for the Bruins was Feb. 1 in the outdoor game against the Lightning in Tampa.
Swayman returns to net
Jeremy Swayman, coming off his back-to-back losses to the Panthers and Lightning, was back in net vs. Carolina. He had not lost two straight in regulation since a three-game dip in October, when he allowed 13 goals in starts vs. the Golden Knights, Avalanche, and Panthers.
Joonas Korpisalo started Sunday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Flyers.
In his recent losses to Florida and Tampa Bay, he surrendered a total of only four goals.
Swayman entered with a 30-17-4 record, 2.70 goals-against average, and .908 save percentage.
Hurricanes locked in
The Hurricanes, already with a playoff seed clinched in the Eastern Conference, entered the night on verge of locking down the Metropolitan Division title. They have qualified eight straight seasons for the playoffs, logging their last DNQ in 2017-18, which was their ninth consecutive season out of the playoff structure.
Round 1 this year will mark Carolina’s 18th playoff series in seven-plus seasons. The Hurricanes won 10 of their previous 17 series, going 47-42 in 89 games.
The Bruins were the opponent in three of those series and won two, with the lone loss coming in 2022, a seven-game set in the first round.
Since reaching Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins have lost 5 of 8 postseason series, with a 23-22 mark in 45 games.
Right on schedule
The Bruins were scheduled to charter north and land at Hanscom Field around midnight and won’t be back in action until the Lightning visit Causeway Street for a Saturday matinee. The three-day break (albeit with two practices) matches their longest respite since returning to play in late February following the Milan Cortina Olympics … Following the matchup with Tampa Bay, the Black and Gold will tidy up their regular-season slate with a visit to Columbus on Sunday night and Tuesday’s finale at TD Garden vs. the Devils — the annual “Shirts Off Our Backs” closer.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.