The Carolina Hurricanes (2-1) and Boston Bruins (1-2) meet for Game 4 of their 1st-round Eastern Conference playoff series Sunday at TD Garden in Boston. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we look at the Hurricanes vs. Bruins odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
Rookie G Pyotr Kochetkov was no match for the Bruins or their hostile crowd in his first-ever NHL playoff start on the road in Game 3 Friday. While C Vincent Trocheck staked him to an early 1-0 lead midway through the 1st period but the B’s rattled off 4 straight goals, including a shorthanded marker by C Charlie Coyle late in the 1st frame to amp up the crowd.
Rookie G Jeremy Swayman took over in the net after G Linus Ullmark started the first 2 games in Raleigh, and he turned aside 25 of the 27 shots to give Boston its 1st win of the best-of-7 series.
Hurricanes at Bruins odds and lines
- Money line: Hurricanes +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Bruins -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Hurricanes +1.5 (-250) | Bruins -1.5 (+180)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -135 | U: +110)
Hurricanes at Bruins projected goalies
Antti Raanta (15-5-4, 2.45 GAA, .912 SV%, 2 SO – regular season) vs Jeremy Swayman (23-14-3, 2.41 GAA, .914 SV%, 3 SO – regular season)
Raanta was knocked out of Game 2 early after a collision with RW David Pastrnak. He was able to return to pre-game skate ahead of Game 3 and could have started. However, head coach Rod Brind’Amour elected to use the rookie Kochetkov. Raanta stopped 35 of 36 shots in the Game 1 victory, and all 6 shots he faced in Game 2 before departing.
Swayman started Game 3 after Ullmark lost the first 2 games, and the rookie stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced. He also stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced in a 3-0 loss Oct. 28 at Carolina, his only regular-season appearance against the Hurricanes.
Money line
The HURRICANES (+110) had a poor outing in Game 3, as they imploded on special teams. Carolina was due for a loss after winning 8 straight heading into Boston. It’s not going to lose a second consecutive game. This is still a team that outscored Boston 22-4 in the first 5 regular-season and playoff matchups. Look for Carolina to get back to basics.
Against the spread
The Hurricanes +1.5 (-250) will set you back two and a half times your potential return for a little insurance, and that’s just not a good long-term betting strategy.
AVOID.
Over/Under
OVER 5.5 (-135) is the best play on the board as it’s 3-for-3 so far in the series. We’ve had a total of 4 goalies patrolling the crease in this series, with 2 different backstops for each team. The offense has ruled the day so far, with an average of 6.33 goals per game in this series.
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