The surprising Columbus Blue Jackets can take a commanding 3-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the visiting Boston Bruins on Thursday night and are favoured to do just that.

Bruins vs Blue Jackets Betting Analysis

We rarely see No. 8 seeds advance past the first round in the NBA playoffs, much less to a conference finals. It’s much more common in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Columbus Blue Jackets can get within a game of their first-ever East Finals with a win over the visiting Bruins on Thursday.

Boston had been favoured not just in this series but to win the Stanley Cup, but that has all changed with the Bruins down 2-1. On the updated Sports Interaction series line, Columbus is -270 and Boston +185. The favoured exact result is Blue Jackets in six games at +251, while the long shot is Bruins in six at +566. Columbus is also the +180 East favourite and down to +450 to win the Cup. Boston is now +275 and +750, respectively.

The Bruins are 1-4 in their past five in Columbus. The total has gone under in four of the previous five meetings overall.

Boston Bruins

Yet another one-goal game on Tuesday and the Bruins were on the wrong side of it for the second in a row, falling 2-1. That means Boston has scored one fewer goal in each game of this series. Jake DeBrusk had the lone Boston goal in Game 3, making it 2-1 late in the second period. It was DeBrusk’s second of this post-season. Tuukka Rask played well enough to win, allowing two goals on 34 shots. Boston will wait on a decision from the league regarding a suspension to top forward Brad Marchand. He delivered a cheap shot in the third period Tuesday on Columbus blueliner Scott Harrington. The hit itself wasn’t all that bad, but Marchand has a history of such things and that could factor in any decision by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have been a machine on the power play in these playoffs and that continued on Tuesday as Matt Duchene scored on the man advantage at 12:42 of the second for the eventual game-winning goal. It was the fifth goal of these playoffs for Duchene (franchise record), who was acquired around the trade deadline from Ottawa. Columbus is now converting on 38.1 per cent of its power-plays (8-for-21 in these playoffs). The NHL postseason record is 38.5 per cent by the 2010 Los Angeles Kings. Boone Jenner had the other goal, his first. Sergei Bobrovsky was the deserved No. 1 star with 36 saves as Columbus improved to 3-0 at home in these playoffs.

BRUINS

Away

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BLUE JACKETS

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