Hurricanes-Bruins Series Outlook
By Judd Hall
No. 1 Boston Bruins vs. No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes
Series Price: Boston -220, Carolina +180
Series Format: Boston, 2-2-1-1-1
Skinny: In case you were wondering, the Bruins are still in the playoffs. They just haven’t played in almost two weeks.
If that sweep of the Canadiens showed anything, it was that Boston is the most balanced club in the Eastern Conference.
The B’s force opponents into problems almost instantly because you can’t just focus on one particular forward line to stop. Boston is able to go four-deep on their forward lines with six skaters that posted at least 20 goals mixed through the depth chart. Phil Kessel posted four lamp lighters against Montreal in the first round. And Michael Ryder did the same against his former team.
In the rare occurrence that Boston can’t score a few goals, they still have a fighting chance to win thanks to a stifling defense. Led by Zdeno Chara, the Bruins allowed the fewest goals during the regular season (190) and second fewest during the playoffs (6).
The Bruins’ special teams were dominant in the opening round, yielding no power play goals to Montreal. And that also speaks volumes with how smart the team plays as they were shorthanded just eight times.
Of course, the most important cog has been the one roaming between the pipes. Tim Thomas became a Vezina Trophy finalist through some of the best improvisational goaltending you’ll ever see. The result of his wild flopping for stops helped Thomas post a 1.50 goals against average with a 94.6 save percentage in the first round.
Carolina finds itself in the second round of the playoffs in part to late-game heroics that I can’t remember ever seeing before.
The Hurricanes cured their offensive woes with a trade deadline deal that brought Erik Cole back to Raleigh. Head coach Paul Maurice immediately installed him on their top line with Eric Staal and Ray Whitney. The impact was felt as Staal has scored 17 goals since March 5…five coming against the Devils in Round 1.
As great as the offense was in coming through in the clutch, they couldn’t do a thing with the advantage against New Jersey. The ‘Canes has just two power play goals on 29 chances against New Jersey…that was the fewest of any conference semifinalists.
Carolina’s corp of defensemen has the size and mobility to be imposing to the opposition. Yet they are prone to making mistakes, whether it be turning the puck over in their own zone or just not marking an opponent tight enough.
Cam Ward has been able to offset some of the issues on defense that the Hurricanes have had over the year. His latest masterpiece was a 2.11 GAA and 93.8 save percentage against a Devils team that had a lot of offensive pop.
Gambling Notes: Boston mopped the ice with the ‘Canes during the regular season, winning all four games with solid puck line covers. As impressive as that is, three of those four contests came before Carolina got rolling. Since their 5-1 setback on Jan. 10 at the TD Banknorth Garden, the Hurricanes are 28-18.
Bettors of the puck line have a great ally in the Bruins. The B’s won all four of their games against the Habs by at least two goals. That is a usual occurrence for Boston as they’ve covered the puck line in 15 of its last 21 victories. When you figure that a normal PL play yields a return of around plus-150 (risk $100 to win $150), they’ve been a profitable squad.
If we were going to bet this series on goalies, then the Bruins are your squad. Thomas was 3-0 with a GAA of 1.33 and 95.7 save percentage. Compare that young Mr. Ward, who was in goal for all four losses with a pudgy 3.89 GAA while stopping only 87 percent of the shots fired his way.
Outlook: They say that regular season records can be thrown out the window when teams face off in the playoffs. While that may be true in most instances, it doesn’t hold true in this spot.
There are just too many ways for the ‘Canes to fail against the Bruins. If they cover Kessel and Marc Savard tight, they’ll get beaten by Ryder and Milan Lucic. The only way that Carolina keeps it close is for Ward to play spotless between the pipes.
I fully expect the Hurricanes to sneak in a win to open the series against a Boston squad that will no doubt be a tad rusty. Unfortunately for them, it will be the only victory they get as the B’s take the series in five for a fine payout of plus-300 (risk $100 to win $300) at Sportsbook.com.
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