The NHL Playoffs continue on Wednesday night with another solid slate of action. Four games are up on the board throughout May 4. One of these games will be between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes. These two teams have been solid throughout the season and will look for a big win in this one. This game will drop the puck at around 7:00 PM Eastern on ESPN.
Boston finished out the regular season with a record of 51-26-5, which had them in the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins dropped the first game of this series and will look to avoid falling down 2-0 in the series. Boston has struggled to get much going against Carolina, but will look for a faster start in this one. The Bruins will look to grab momentum early on Wednesday night.
The Hurricanes put up a record of 54-20-8 throughout the regular season, which had them in first place of the Metropolitan division. Carolina has been red hot as of late, winning six games in a row before the playoffs. The Hurricanes will look to keep that momentum up as they try to take a 2-0 series lead. Carolina will look for another fast start at home in this one.
These two teams have been strong on the season and will look for a big win in Game 2 of this series. Carolina was able to dominate late to control Game 1 and will look to take the 2-0 series lead. The Bruins struggled early and will look for a faster start to keep the Hurricanes home fans out of it. If either team can come out fast, it could be enough for the win.
Game Overview
The following odds are courtesy of Bovada:
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total |
| Boston Bruins | +1 ½ (-260) | +100 | Over 5 ½ (-120) |
| Carolina Hurricanes | -1 ½ (+215) | -120 | Under 5 ½ (+100) |
| Team Data | Boston Bruins | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Playoff Record | 0-1 | 1-0 |
| Playoff Away/ Home Record | 0-1 | 1-0 |
| Playoff GF/GP | 1.00 | 5.00 |
| Playoff GF/GP Away/ Home | 1.00 | 5.00 |
| Playoff SV% | .833 | .972 |
| Playoff SV% Away/ Home | .833 | .972 |
Betting Trends
Boston Bruins
- 15-8 after allowing four goals or more
- 15-7 after a loss by two goals or more
- 10-3 after scoring one goal or less
- 21-23 against team with a winning record
Carolina Hurricanes
- 24-10 after a win by two or more goals
- 28-10 after scoring four goals or more
- 18-8 after three or more straight wins
- 26-17 against team with a winning record
These two teams met up in Game 1 on May 2. Seth Jarvis and Nino Niederreiter both had a goal in the second period to give Carolina a 2-0 lead. Taylor Hall cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal early in the third. Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist in the third period though to help the Hurricanes run away with a 5-1 win to take the series lead.
#NHLBruins updates per Coach Cassidy:
▪️ Linus Ullmark will start Game 2
▪️ Hampus Lindholm will play with Brandon Carlo
▪️ Matt Grzelcyk will pair with Charlie McAvoy pic.twitter.com/ifTyTagXEK— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 3, 2022
Special Teams
The Bruins were solid on special teams throughout the regular season. Boston scored on 49 of their 235 power play chances, which was a 20.9 percent success rate. The Bruins killed off 211 of their opponents 259 power play attempts, which was an 81.5 percent penalty kill. Boston finished 15th on the power play and 9th on the kill this season.
Carolina was strong on special teams during the regular season. The Hurricanes capitalized on 51 of their 232 power play opportunities, which is a 22 percent power play. Carolina gave up 33 power play goals on 276 penalties against, which was an 88 percent kill rate. The Hurricanes were 13th on the man advantage and 1st on the penalty kill.
The Hurricanes put up slightly better power play numbers and great penalty kill numbers in the regular season. Boston was still solid on special teams, but will need to improve if they want an edge over Carolina. Both teams went 0-3 on the power play in Game 1 of this series. If either team can get a power play goal in Game 2, it could lead them to the win.
Goaltending Comparison
Linus Ullmark will likely get the start in Game 2 of this series for Boston. Ullmark started in 39 games in the regular season, going 26-10-2 in those matchups. He posted a .917 save percentage and a GAA of 2.45 in those games. Ullmark finished with 20 saves on 24 shots in Game 1 of this series and will look to bounce back in this matchup.
I expect Antti Raanta to get the nod between the pipes for the Hurricanes in Game 2 on Wednesday. Raanta earned a record of 15-5-4 throughout his 26 starts this season. He put up a save percentage of .912 and a 2.45 GAA in his starts. Raanta stopped 35 of 36 on Monday night in Game 1. He will look to remain hot entering this matchup.
These two goalies put up similar numbers in the regular season and will look to step up in Game 2. Raanta will likely remain in net with Andersen still out. The Bruins could move towards Jeremy Swayman in this one, but I think they will give Ullmark a chance to bounce back. If either goalie can come out fast in this one, it could be enough for the win.
Pick Overview
The Hurricanes were able to dominate Game 1 of this series and swept the regular season series against Boston. The Bruins have a strong offense and have been hot in the second half of the season. I think that Boston will bounce back to tie this series up after a tough loss in Game 1. If the Bruins can grab an early lead, I like their chances to pull off the upset.
Bovada has Carolina listed as a -120 against the money line in this one. This implies that the Hurricanes will win this game around 54.6 percent of the time. I think that this line should be closer to even with both teams putting up similar stats in the regular season. I do not expect Raanta to put up as strong of a game again. If the Bruins can break through early, I think they will tie this series back up.
