by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, May 04, 2022
Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference First Round, Game 2 -- Hurricanes lead 1-0
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Where to watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Hurricanes -120, Bruins +100
BetMGM: Hurricanes -120, Bruins +100
Caesars: Hurricanes -120, Bruins +100
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 24-13-0 run over the last month in the NHL. The last week of the NHL season is here before we get cracking to playoff coverage. The postseason is here, the matchups are set, and you can count on our coverage for all the playoff matchups starting this weekend. Who's going to win the Cup? You need to be tuned in here to find out all the expert analysis. Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Hurricanes - Bruins preview and analysis
In the battle of unproven goaltending, it was the Carolina Hurricanes standing tall in Game 1 behind a spectacular performance from Antti Raanta. As a result, the Canes have survived the first test without their starting goalie and Vezina Trophy candidate and have a 1-0 series lead over the Boston Bruins.
Game 2 is back in Raleigh on Wednesday night, and the Hurricanes have a really strong chance to put a stranglehold on this series before it even gets off the ground in Boston.
To Boston’s credit, the Bruins held the fort for the majority of the first 40 minutes. Boston was the aggressor in the first period and outshot Carolina by nearly double and looked to be pestering Raanta to the point of uncomfortability.
Then, Seth Jarvis re-directs a Jaccob Slavin shot with three minutes left in the second period and things start going off the rails. Carolina got whatever it wanted and Linus Ullmark just completely unraveled on the PNC Arena ice. Raanta made 35 saves and won his playoff debut, leaving a sense of relief that the Canes do not need to rush Frederik Andersen back from his lower-body injury.
It doesn’t appear Andersen will be a go for Wednesday.
"For me, it was obviously the first start in the playoffs in the NHL," Raanta said. "I was just trying to focus on the things that have (allowed me) to be successful. It was working nicely. But it's only one game, one win, and now it's just regrouping and getting ready for Wednesday."
If not for the strong play of Raanta, one of the winners of this year’s Jennings Trophy, the Canes might not have been able to hold on for as long as they could before things came unglued in their favor.
Carolina’s offense I think played more to not win in the first 20 minutes on Monday night, then realized that they could open things up once Raanta settled in. They might need to do that again given the fact Boston is widely expected to ramp up the efforts in Game 2.
"Their goalie made saves, and there's some pucks around the front of the net we just couldn't locate or take the right path to, but they were there," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "[Raanta] is paid to play, too, and he did a good job and he held them in the game early on. ... We were ready to play, just couldn't put anything in the net early on."
The Bruins, not deterred by Ullmark giving up four goals in the final 20-plus minutes, seem prepared to go to the veteran again for Game 2 rather than rookie sensation Jeremy Swayman. Both goalies have been good this year and you can’t really go wrong, but choosing the veteran over the rookie has appeared to be the choice.
However, I am curious of how short of a leash Ullmark gets if the Bruins falter early. Pulling a goalie is one thing, but to pull him for a rookie because you crumbled so quickly is another matter entirely. Say Ullmark gives up two in about 10 minutes. Does Swayman come in? The Hurricanes don’t have that luxury.
Prediction
I don’t think it goes that far, but I think Raanta does settle down and wills Carolina to a big Game 2 win. Which given the history of this series, Game 2 is all but important for the Canes to secure a victory. Hurricanes win 3-2
Betting trends
Bruins are 2-8 this season when revenging a loss after allowing five goals or more.
Bruins are 85-129 since 1996 when revenging two straight losses against an opponent that scored three goals or more.
Hurricanes are 29-7 this season after scoring three goals or more in two straight games.
Hurricanes are 14-7 this season off two straight overs.
Projected lines
Bruins:
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall -- Erik Haula -- David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic -- Charlie Coyle -- Craig Smith
Nick Foligno -- Tomas Nosek -- Curtis Lazar
Hampus Lindholm -- Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Connor Clifton
Linus Ullmark
Hurricanes:
Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis
Max Domi -- Vincent Trocheck -- Teuvo Teravainen
Nino Niederreiter -- Derek Stepan -- Jesper Fast
Jordan Martinook -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Martin Necas
Ian Cole -- Tony DeAngelo
Brady Skjei -- Brett Pesce
Brendan Smith -- Ethan Bear
Antti Raanta
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
