Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes Picks, Predictions, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

14 minute read

The Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes square off at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Wednesday night for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, a best-of-seven series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN.

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Score Prediction

Hurricanes 3, Bruins 2

Best Bet

Hurricanes -137
Under 6 (+110)

BOSTON BRUINS vs. CAROLINA HURRICANES PREDICTIONS

The Bruins and Hurricanes played to a scoreless first period, so hopefully you played the UNDER for the first period as mentioned in the Game 1 preview. Things picked up in a hurry after those pair of donuts, as the Canes scored two to send the PNC Arena crowd into a frenzy, and it picked up after that. Carolina scored three third-period goals, including one of the empty-net variety late, flipping what should've been an UNDER result into an OVER for those playing a total of 5.5.

Carolina backers had no such worries all evening long, but playoff hockey is never that easy, and you can expect Boston to come back with a much better effort. This is a veteran group which knows that a loss, even a blowout loss, counts as just one in the standings. If the B's can scratch out a win, in any fashion, and gain a split in Raleigh, they can seize home-ice advantage, and no one will remember the final tally of the opening game of the series. However, roughly 87 percent of teams who go up 2-0 in a series end up winning that playoff series, so Boston can ill-afford to slip into an 0-2 hole to Carolina.

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BOSTON BRUINS vs. CAROLINA HURRICANES BETTING ODDS

Bruins +114
Hurricanes -137
Bruins +1.5 (-238)
Hurricanes -1.5 (+195)
Over 6 (-110)
Under 6 (+110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

BOSTON BRUINS vs. CAROLINA HURRICANES BETTING RESOURCES

• Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022
• Matchup: Atlantic vs. Metropolitan
• Venue: PNC Arena
• Location: Raleigh, N.C.
• TV-Time: ESPN, 7 p.m. ET

BOSTON BRUINS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 51-27-5
• ATS: 33-50
• O/U: 37-39-7

The Bruins were outscored 16-1 in a three-game regular-season series sweep by the Hurricanes, and they picked up right where they left off with a 5-1 loss in Game 1. Can Boston pull out of this nosedive, or are they psychologically fazed by Carolina? By getting outscored 21-2 in four games, it certainly looks like the Canes are in their heads, and it is going to take a lot of effort to rectify the situation.

Boston has the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, so scoring shouldn't be an issue. But this isn't the same B's defense we've seen in the past, with blueline mainstays Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug gone. And Tuukka Rask is no longer holding it down in the blue ice, but it's unproven postseason commodities Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark trying to hold it down. So far, the changing of the guard hasn't been good to Boston, but if it can somehow find a way in Game 2, a 1-1 split in Raleigh is obviously might different than being down 0-2 heading back to Beantown. I am not sure the B's have it in them, however, as there has been little to no evidence a turnaround is coming.

On a side note, head coach Bruce Cassidy will be going right back to Ullmark for Game 2, confirming his starter on Tuesday. Ullmark stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced in the loss.

CAROLINA HURRICANES BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 55-20-8
• ATS: 42-41
• O/U: 38-41-4

The Hurricanes didn't get off to a quick start in Game 1, but the ball quickly started rolling downhill in the second period of the series opener, and finished in a raucous crescendo in the final 20 minutes. The Carolina home faithful were treated to another victory, and the fans in the self-dubbed "Loudest Building in the NHL" went home satisfied and pumped after a 5-1 victory.

Carolina has been dispatched two times in the past three seasons from the Boston Bruins, and they'll have to keep working to make sure the third time is a charm. But often in sports, there is always a team you must work hard to get over the proverbial hump and finally take that next step forward, and the kryptonite for the Canes is that of the B's. If Carolina can grab this 2-0 series lead, they will be brimming with confidence, but the job will be far from done.

Frederik Andersen has been sidelined since Feb. 16 due to a lower-body injury, so Antti Raanta held down the fort in Game 1. Andersen and Raanta claimed the Jennings Trophy for combining for the fewest goals allowed in the regular season, so Raanta starting isn't a huge drop-off. This duo did it all season.

BOSTON BRUINS vs. CAROLINA HURRICANES PREDICTIONS

The Bruins were belted in Game 1, as the Hurricanes got progressively better as the game went on and the visitors failed to respond. It's been the story all season in this rivalry, as again, Carolina has now outscored Boston 21-2 in four games between the regular season and the playoff series opener.

There is still plenty of time for the B's to respond, but they'll need more disciplined play, better goaltending and more solid work along the blue line. Simple, right? Well, playing in front of a deafening, hostile crowd is why home-ice advantage is so important. Boston needs to score the first goal of Game 2 to take the crowd out of it early, and preferably grab the first two or three goals, to really get the fans of the Bunch of Jerks sitting on their hands.

If the B's let Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and company get free to do their thing, and the crowd gets into it early, it's unlikely Boston will be able to change the narrative in this series. I think this is a much more hotly contested and lower-scoring game, but the result will be the same in the end. Canes win.

BOSTON BRUINS vs. CAROLINA HURRICANES BETTING TRENDS

• Bruins are 13-7 in the past 20 road games.
• Bruins are 6-2 in the past eight Eastern QF games.
• Hurricanes are 7-0 in the past seven games overall.
• Hurricanes are 39-16 in the past 55 home games.
• Hurricanes are 25-9 in the past 34 as a favorite.
• Hurricanes are 2-4 in the past six Eastern QF games.
• UNDER is 8-3-2 in the past 13 games overall for the B's.
• UNDER is 6-2-4 in the past 12 as an underdog for the B's.
• OVER is 6-2 in the past eight games overall for the Canes.
• UNDER is 16-7 in the past 23 home games for the Canes.
• Bruins are 14-6 in the past 20 meetings.
• Favorite is 23-8 in the past 31 meetings.

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Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish