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Jeremy Perry
Hurricanes vs. Bruins Game 3 Prediction, Stanley Cup Playoff Odds
The Carolina Hurricanes again faced some tough officiating in Game 2 of their Round of 16 series with the Boston Bruins but this time, they overcame it. With the series tied at one game apiece, the two teams will get back at it on Saturday afternoon with an early start. A key storyline will be the health of Bruins star forward David Pastrnak, who missed Game 2, so keep an eye on the newswires.
Bruins vs. Hurricanes NHL Stanley Cup Odds
The Hurricanes got the win on Thursday, which bumped them to 42-31 on the season. That includes going 22-14 against teams with a winning record. They’ve been playing quality hockey at the defensive end, so it’s no surprise that three of their last four games have gone under the number.
As for the Bruins, the loss to Carolina was just their second in the last 14 meetings. They are now just 1-4 in neutral arena games this season.
Interestingly enough, eight of the last 13 meetings between the teams have gone over the number.
Boston Bruins
Breaking news Saturday morning as the Bruins announced via social media that starting goaltender Tuukka Rask has opted out of the NHL’s return to play. Jaroslav Halek is expected to start this game against the Hurricanes with Dan Vladar or Max Lagace to serve as the likely backups.
The Bruins will have to wait and see when it comes to Pastrnak as the latest news is that he’s going to be a game-time decision for Game 3. We really don’t know what’s happening but it appears that Pastrnak was injured while celebrating Patrick Bergeron’s overtime-winning goal in Game 1. This is a massive loss for the team as Pastrnak scored 48 goals in 70 games – a career-high – and was one of the main pieces on the Bruins’ top line. This team had trouble scoring before their playoffs got underway. It’s no coincidence that Pastrnak was out and the team scored two or less for the fourth time in five outings.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes made a switch in net in Game 2, opting to go with James Reimer instead of Petr Mrazek, and it worked out quite well. The Hurricanes netminder held Boston to just two goals on 35 shots. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise as he’s had success against Boston. While his record against them is just 9-10-3, he has a decent 2.49 GAA against them and a healthy .929 save percentage. That was mostly with teams that weren’t as strong defensively as the Hurricanes.
Speaking of defense, the Canes got a big boost in Game 1 with the return of Dougie Hamilton and in Game 2, he ended up scoring the game-winning goal. Considering the roster news on the other side – the loss of Pastrnak – this is a big swing in talent in the Hurricanes favor.
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