Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Sunday 5/12/19
*It’s Game 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, May 12, with the Carolina Hurricanes looking to tie the series after falling in Game 1, 5-2. Boston would take the lead in this game on a Stephen Kampfer goal less than three minutes into the contest, but Carolina would respond with goals by Sebastian Aho and Greg McKegg to take the lead heading into the third. Boston would totally dominate the final period, getting power-play goals by Marcus Johansson and Patrice Bergeron just 28 seconds apart, and Charlie Coyle and Chris Wagner would close out the scoring with goals 11 seconds apart to give Boston the 5-2 victory.
Featured Games
Carolina Hurricanes(+134) vs. Boston Bruins (-154)
Carolina Keys
After taking a 2-1, Carolina pretty much let Boston dictate this contest. The Hurricanes are so much better when they are applying their relentless forecheck. When they took the lead in the second period, it was that forecheck that helped give them the advantage, outshooting Boston in the second period, 15-10.
Carolina also needs to stay out of the penalty box. Those two power-play goals early in the third frame were killers. The Bruins have the top power-play unit in the playoffs, and Carolina simply can’t give them more than one or two chances in a game.
Petr Mrazek returned from injury and looked outstanding through the first two frames, but lost his mojo in the third. He would save just 23 of the 27 shots he faced, and Carolina needs to see him return to form if they are going to win this contest. It should be noted that it is not surprising that Mrazek would show a little rust considering he didn’t play in any of the final two contests in Round 2, meaning he hasn’t been in a game in about 10 days.
Boston Keys
Boston showed that when they let Carolina dictate the play, they are in trouble. However, when they are pressuring with their forecheck, the Hurricanes seem to have no answers. Boston has to keep that kind of sustained pressure and not allow the Hurricanes to dictate play.
The Bruins also need to keep the pressure on because it helped to generate power-play opportunities for them. They took advantage of that, scoring goals just 28 seconds apart in the third to turn this game around.
The Bruins are best when they get ahead in contests, and they have done that a lot in these playoffs. They have won four straight games, and have led in those contests for 156 minutes while trailing for just 13. When they get ahead they are extremely hard to beat as the Bruins are 8-0 in these playoffs when leading entering the third frame.
Goaltending Matchup:
Mrazek looked his old self through the first two periods but gave up four goals in the third. Now that he’s gotten back into some game action after a long delay, expect much better performance out of him in Game 2. Mrazek has a 2.40 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in his 10 playoff games this year.
Tuukka Rask was outstanding in Game 1, stopping 29 of 31 shots he faced. The victory was the fourth straight for the Bruins goalie, who has allowed six total goals in that span. Rask has a 2.02 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage through his first 14 games of the playoffs.
Stat Pack:
Hurricanes:
Goals For:3.00
Goals Against:2.50
Power-Play:12.2%
Penalty Killing:73.2%
Bruins:
Goals For: 3.21
Goals Against: 2.14
Power-Play: 30.0%
Penalty Killing: 82.5%
Trends to Know
Carolina Hurricanes are:
39-18 in their last 57 games.
0-5 in their last five conference finals games.
7-3 in their last 10 games on a Sunday.
Boston Bruins are:
4-0 in their last four games.
6-0 in their last six conference finals games.
56-23 in their last 79 games at home.
Prediction
Carolina had everything going for them coming out of the second period on Thursday but stopped playing their game in the third and it gave Boston the opportunity to win this game. The Bruins took command of the contest by relentlessly forechecking, generating penalties, and then capitalizing. That is going to be the key in this contest. No matter how well Mrazek plays, it Boston is able to dominate the game and Carolina’s end, then this is going to go the Bruins way, which is what we expect in this contest.
Mrazek played well, but Rask was the better goaltender and has been outstanding over the last four games. The Boston Bruins are red-hot now, and we expect them to continue that rise through Game 2.
The total is set at 5.5 and we look for the slight under here. Mrazek looked better than what we expected, especially after sitting out the last two games of the last series, giving him a rather extended break. Rask has looked red-hot, allowing just two total goals in his last two games. We take the under as the Boston Bruins win, 3-2.
Hurricanes vs Bruins NHL betting picks and predictions: Expect plenty of lamp lighting in Game 2
Monty Andrews
The Hurricanes have been a sensational over play of late, exceeding the total in six of their previous eight games, including their previous three
A dominant third period in Game 1 has the Boston Bruins out in front in the Eastern Conference final – but the Carolina Hurricanes should make Game 2 a lot more competitive as the teams renew acquaintances Sunday at TD Garden.
Carolina actually led 2-1 after 40 minutes, but surrendered four third-period goals to a Bruins team that has now won four consecutive Stanley Cup playoff games. That said, the Hurricanes haven't trailed in the postseason since dropping the first two games of their first-round best-of-seven to Washington – and reeled off eight wins in the next nine games after that.
Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins (-160, 5.5)
Bruins lead series 1-0
Series Price: Hurricanes +225/Bruins -333
QUICK-HITTER
Boston has been truly dominant in the opening period so far in the postseason, scoring 14 goals in the first 20 minutes while surrendering only six goals over that span. It was well on its way to controlling the opening frame Thursday night, opening the scoring just 2:55 in, but Sean Kuraly's costly roughing penalty less than 45 seconds later set the stage for Carolina to even the score. The Hurricanes are a minus-7 in the opening 20 minutes, and with the Bruins still enjoying home-ice advantage, we like Boston to go into the first intermission with a lead.
PREDICTION: Bruins -0.5 first period line (+165)
PERIOD BET
While the Hurricanes have been largely inferior in the opening period, they've been an unstoppable force in the middle stanza in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Carolina has scored 12 times in the second period while surrendering an unfathomable five goals; it held Boston off the scoresheet in the second period of Game 1 en route to a 2-1 advantage after 40 minutes. The Bruins, meanwhile, are actually a minus-one in the second stanza so far in the postseason, and have seen just 10 total goals scored in the second period of their last 10 playoff games. We like a repeat of the Game 1 result at sky-high odds.
PREDICTION: Second period correct score: Hurricanes 1-0 (+550)
TEAM/PLAYER BET
The Bruins have been on a tear in the final period of their past four playoff games, scoring a whopping 11 goals while surrendering only three. They've converted multiple times in the final frame of all four of those games, and have kept the opponent from scoring in the third period of five of their past six contests overall. Carolina won't be pushed around like it was over the final 20 minutes of Game 1, but it's hard to bet against Boston closing out the scoring given how it has played of late – and it doesn't hurt, either, that Boston leads all playoff teams with 20 goals in the third period.
PREDICTION: Team to score last - Bruins (-145)
FULL-GAME TOTAL
The Hurricanes have been a sensational over play of late, exceeding the total in six of their previous eight games, including their previous three (averaging seven goals per game over that span). And these teams know a thing or two about putting the puck in the net, having combined for seven or more goals in seven of their past eight head-to-head encounters. Carolina should be able to generate enough shots to keep Rask and the Bruins' defense on its heels, while Boston's dangerous top-six and potent power play are a threat to put up big numbers every game. We like the O5.5 play in Game 2.
PREDICTION: Over 5.5 (+110)
FULL-GAME SIDE
Game 1 was certainly closer than the score would suggest, with Carolina actually outshooting the hosts while also winning the faceoff battle. But that third-period meltdown speaks to a larger issue that could the the Hurricanes' undoing: While Petr Mrazek has been mostly terrific in the postseason, his .907 save percentage doesn't look all that great. Boston counterpart Tuukka Rask, by comparison, has a .929 save percentage at home in the playoffs and has helped the Bruins post a plus-7 goal differential through eight games in Boston. It'll be close, but we favor the home side to come away with a one-goal win.
PREDICTION: Bruins winning margin - 1 goal (+225)
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Preview: Hurricanes (46-29) at Bruins (49-24)
Brad Marchand isn't known for keeping his cool.
The Boston Bruins' "Little Ball of Hate" has been suspended six times and fined on five more occasions during his NHL career, but it was his poise that helped his team take the lead in the series heading into Game 2 Sunday afternoon in Boston.
On Thursday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina, with his Bruins trailing by a goal early in the third period, Marchand showed a different side.
The Hurricanes' Jordan Staal was called for boarding against Boston's Chris Wagner just 49 seconds into the period. Rookie Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton took exception, giving Staal a cross-check and then trying to put him in a headlock.
Marchand stepped in and pulled Clifton away to avoid offsetting penalties.
The Bruins tied the score on the ensuing power play and, after another Carolina penalty, converted again 28 seconds later to take the lead. They added two late goals for a 5-2 victory.
"He's turning over a new leaf, eh?" Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy joked when asked about Marchand. "Marchy ... listen, he's been in these big games. He's a Stanley Cup champion, so he understands maybe a little more than meets the eye sometimes. There's a time and a place where you really have to be disciplined."
The Bruins outscored Carolina 4-0 in the third period.
"I thought the third was the way we want to play," said assistant captain Patrice Bergeron, who scored the go-ahead goal off an assist from Marchand. "And not going to lie, the second goal got us going and got the momentum on our side, and then we got rolling."
Carolina defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who started his career with the Bruins after being selected by them in the first round of the 2011 draft, was whistled for two minor penalties in the third period -- including the one that led to the go-ahead goal.
"We had the lead in the third, took some penalties and gave them the lead," Hamilton said. "Tough to come back from that."
The Hurricanes had their six-game winning streak snapped, which dated to the final two games of the opening-round series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, which
Carolina won in seven games. The Hurricanes then swept the New York Islanders in four straight in the second round.
"This playoff, we've been successful holding leads, and we got kicked in the pants a little bit (Thursday)," Carolina captain Justin Williams said. "That hasn't happened in a while, and we've got to get the next one."
The Hurricanes missed an opportunity in the opener as Boston was without defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who leads the Bruins' skaters in ice time. McAvoy was suspended one game after a hit to the head of Columbus' Josh Anderson in the finale of the second-round series.
To make matters worse for the Hurricanes, McAvoy's replacement, Steven Kampfer, scored the opening goal in Game 1 less than three minutes in.
"We're not going to win if we don't play better than that," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We had spurts, but that's not going to be good enough at this time of the year. So we'll regroup and try to get better for the next game."
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NHL
Long Sheet
Sunday, May 12
CAROLINA (54-32-0-8, 116 pts.) at BOSTON (58-29-0-9, 125 pts.) - 5/12/2019, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 19-48 ATS (+82.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 25-8 ATS (+13.7 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 38-18 ATS (+14.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 19-11 ATS (+31.8 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 295-247 ATS (-105.3 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 7-12 ATS (-12.3 Units) on Sunday games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 7-3 (+3.9 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 7-3-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.2 Units)
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NHL
Sunday, May 12
Trend Report
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games
Carolina is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games on the road
Carolina is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Boston
Carolina is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Carolina's last 8 games when playing Boston
Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games
Boston is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games at home
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Carolina
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 8 games when playing Carolina
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina
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