Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Prediction: Can the Bruins Overcome Two Key Absences?
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Prediction: Can the Bruins Overcome Two Key Absences?
Thursday's NHL slate looks to be entertaining, with six of the Eastern Conference's eight playoff teams in action. Two of them, the Bruins and Hurricanes, will face off in Boston at 7 PM ET. Here is my best bet for the game.
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Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Prediction
Each of these teams has stumbled out of the gate following the All-Star break. The Bruins (26-15-3) dropped a 4-2 contest to the Penguins on Tuesday night, one that ended in a controversial skirmish between star winger Brad Marchand and Penguins' goaltender Tristan Jarry. The Hurricanes (31-10-3), who lead the Metropolitan Division with 65 points, dropped games to the Maple Leafs and Senators on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Both squads will be hungry to get back into the win column on Thursday night.
The biggest problem for the Bruins heading into this tilt is the absence of arguably their two best players. Brad Marchand, the aggressor in the aforementioned skirmish at the end of the game against Pittsburgh, was suspended six games for his antics; he will miss this game. Boston's captain and top-line center, Patrice Bergeron, will also miss the game due to an upper-body injury. The two are first and third on the Bruins with 49 and 35 points—their absences will undoubtedly hurt the team.
The Hurricanes will likely be the ones rolling out the better goaltender in this game. Frederik Andersen has been stellar this season—he has saved 22.3 goals above expected, good for second in the NHL, according to money puck. On the other side will be Linus Ullmark, who has actually allowed 1.2 more goals than expected. Advantage: Carolina.
This seems like a nice spot to buy low on the Hurricanes. They've lost their last two, but the first was a game they nearly won against a top-class opponent, and the other was on the second leg of a back-to-back where they were clearly gassed. You won't be able to get a team of this caliber at plus-money often this season, and I love them in this spot against an opponent that, while worthy, is missing two superstars.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Odds Movement
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Pick
PICK: Hurricanes ML (+105) (Bet $100 to win $105)
Build Your Own NHL Parlay
Make sure you tail Jason's NHL pick above. But, if you're looking for even more juice, we've got you covered. Using our very own Parlay Pro tool ,you can build your own NHL parlay for Thursday night to maximize your winnings.