The Boston Bruins will try to claw their way back into their quarterfinal series against the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden on Friday night.
The Hurricanes convincingly took each of the first two games at home, but may have to turn to third-string netminder Pyotr Kochetkov for Game 3 after Antti Raanta was forced to leave in the first period of Game 2 due to an upper-body injury.
That uncertainty has left the Bruins as NHL betting favorites tonight — can they avoid falling into a 3-0 series hole? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Hurricanes vs. Bruins on Friday, May 6.
Hurricanes vs Bruins odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Bruins opened as consensus -132 favorites, but money has trickled in on the Hurricanes to knock Boston down as far as 10 cents at most sportsbooks at the time of writing. The total opened at 5.5 goals, and while action on the Over has caused the vig to be raised, nobody has moved to offer a 6.0 yet.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Hurricanes vs Bruins predictions
Predictions made on 5/6/2022 at 10:15 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Hurricanes vs Bruins game info
• Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Date: Friday, May 6, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT, Bally Sports, NESN, Sportsnet 360
Hurricanes vs Bruins series odds
Hurricanes: -450.
Bruins: +340.
Hurricanes vs Bruins betting preview
Key injuries
Hurricanes: Antti Raanta G (Questionable), Frederik Andersen G (Out).
Bruins: Hampus Lindholm D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Hurricanes vs Bruins head-to-head record
Hurricanes: 6-3-1, 37 goals for.
Bruins: 4-6, 19 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 8-3 in the last 11 head-to-head meetings in Boston. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Bruins.
Hurricanes vs Bruins picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Hurricanes have had the Bruins’ number of late, winning each of their last five games against Boston by a combined 26-4 margin. Left winger Andrei Svechnikov has been a driving force behind the Canes’ success in that span, notching four goals and four assists. Not to be outdone, linemate Sebastian Aho has gathered four tallies and three helpers, while right winger Teuvo Teravainen has accumulated two goals and six assists in his last five on the second line.
Carolina spent the first two games of this series teeing off on Boston goaltender Linus Ullmark (4.17 GAA, .860 SV%), but Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has apparently seen enough, as he’s tabbing youngster Jeremy Swayman with the Game 3 start. Swayman posted respectable numbers in 41 regular-season appearances, going 23-14-3 with a 2.41 GAA and .914 SV%.
In his lone start against Carolina on Oct. 28, Swayman stopped 21 of 23 pucks he saw in a 3-0 defeat. For those wondering why the 23-year-old Swayman didn’t get the starting nod in Games 1 and 2, his 3.05 GAA and .889 SV% in April likely wasn’t inspiring much confidence down the stretch.
As for Carolina’s goaltending situation, Raanta was back on the ice Thursday for practice leaving Wednesday’s game early, but head coach Rod Brind’Amour wasn’t overly confident in his ability to suit up.
“We put him on the ice today and that was a good sign, but he’s still not 100%, so I’m not sure on where we’ll be tomorrow. Hopefully he’ll be okay to get in there, but I’m not sure at this point.”
Rod Brind’Amour’s update on Antti Raanta following today’s skate.
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) May 5, 2022
That leaves rookie Pyotr Kochetkov — who appeared in just three regular-season games for the Canes this year — as the alternative starter. He posted a 3-0-0 record and a .902 SV% in those regular-season contests — and stopped 30 of 32 shots in Wednesday’s win, so perhaps he is up to the task.
No matter who starts between the pipes for Carolina, it’s unlikely to wake up Bruins winger David Pastrnak, who’s been held off the scoresheet so far this series and had recorded just one assist in three regular-season tilts with the Canes this season.
Pastrnak’s success (and failure) often goes a long way in determining how Boston will fare on the ice on a given night, and considering the B’s stars are cold — and Carolina’s stars are not — we’re going to lean with the Canes continuing their winning ways to take a stranglehold on the series.
Prediction: Hurricanes moneyline (+110 at PointsBet)
Over/Under analysis
The Hurricanes have been potting goals at a frenetic pace so far this series, and if the regular season stats are any indication, they’ll bring their scoring sticks to Beantown and lead the way to an Over for total bettors.
Carolina notched 3.29 goals per game at home in the regular season, good for 13th in the NHL, but they managed 3.46 goals per game on the road this season — the fifth-best mark in the league. Seth Jarvis was one of several Canes skaters who had “reverse splits” this year, tallying 17 points in 34 home games, but 23 points in 34 road contests. The 20-year-old Winnipeg native has two points through two games this series and closed out the regular season by amassing four goals and eight assists in April.
The Bruins figure to snap out of their offensive doldrums at TD Garden, where their games featured an average of 5.98 goals, compared to just 5.52 goals away from home. Look for Brad Marchand to pick up his play in Game 3, especially if Boston draws some penalties — he totalled 19 points on the power play at home this year, but only eight on the road.
Another key Bruin that had “reverse splits” at home this season was Swayman, who had a 2.81 GAA and a .898 SV% in his own building, but a 2.08 GAA and a .926 SV% as the visitor.
Prediction: Over 5.5 (-115 at DraftKings)
Best bet
The Hurricanes have more than just held serve at home in the first two games of this series. They’ve thoroughly dominated the Bruins, picking up right where they left off in the regular season.
Boston’s defense has seemingly had no answers for Aho, Svechnikov, and Teravainen, and Cassidy’s call to change netminders will likely have little impact. Carolina potentially missing Raanta could sting, but the Canes are an incredibly solid defensive team, ranking first in the NHL in opponent goals per game this year (2.44).
The trends favor the Hurricanes, as they’re 56-20 in their last 76 after allowing two goals or fewer in their previous game, and 36-15 in their last 51 games playing on one day of rest.
The Bruins have also dropped four of their last five postseason games as the betting favorite.
Pick: Hurricanes moneyline (+110 at PointsBet)
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