Bruins vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Bruins Odds | +100 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -120 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-120 / +100) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Hurricanes bested the Bruins 5-1 in Game 1 of this series, which improves the Carolina's season record against Boston to 4-0 with a ridiculous 21-2 Goal Differential.
Should we expect the Hurricanes to continue their mastery over the Bruins in Game 2?
Bruins Look to Bounce Back
The Bruins came out of the gates with a really sharp first period in Game 1, but they ultimately could not get anything past Antti Raanta. That can happen against this Carolina team, which protects its net as well as anyone. This is a big reason why both of Raanta and Frederik Andersen posted +GSAx ratings this season after down seasons in 2021.
However, the Bruins shouldn't allow far more goals than expected again. Boston's game looked at least on par with Carolina's in Game 1 as an Expected Goals score of 2.41 to 1.71 for Boston, with 11 High-Danger Chances For each indicates.
Taylor Hall played a really strong game for the Bruins, while Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron were notable letdowns up front. Expect Marchand and Bergeron to bounce back with a better game Wednesday.
Should Hall continue to play at this level, the Bruins will have a lot of elite talent to handle up front, and their offense should follow.
One clear area of concern for Boston was its power plays, which looked horribly out of sorts. The power-play zone-entries were a massive problem for the Bruins, and coach Bruce Cassidy will adjust in Game 2.
Linus Ullmark allowed 2.3 Goals Above Expected and did not appear overly sharp altogether. I thought he was better than a -2.3 GSAx suggests, but with how excellent Jeremy Swayman played this season, I am a little surprised to see Ullmark get the Game 2 nod.
Hurricanes Look to Stay Opportunistic
The Hurricanes played true to their strengths in Game 1, and they did a lot of things well against an elite Bruins club. However, the game was clearly a good example of the razor-thin margin between winning and losing in the playoffs.
Carolina's offense has been far from opportunistic under Rod Brind'Amour historically. However, the Hurricanes managed to get some shots through traffic for some quality playoff-style goals and found a rare better-than-expected output in turn.
Playing from ahead after the two consecutive goals also benefitted Carolina, and we saw Boston laying it on heavily at 2-1. Hall hit a post just before a play went the other way for the pretty 3-1 dagger from Teuvo Teravainen.
Bruins vs. Hurricanes Pick
Carolina could play better than in Game 1, but Boston at plus money is the side with value.
The Bruins had more of the play altogether in Game 1 and simply did not convert any of their chances. We saw Hall hit the post at 2-1, and just minutes later the Hurricanes managed another goal to extend the lead.
The 5-1 score in that game was very favorable to Carolina and didn't tell the actual story of the game. My belief is Boston will manage a similar effort and find a better result here, and the Bruins are the clear side holding value at plus money.
The under would be my lean on the total as well, considering that Game 1 hit the over 5.5 with a fluky 4-1 empty-net goal and that the game-play dictated a lower scoring affair.
Pick: Boston Bruins +100 (Play to -105)
