In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes meet at PNC Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. New England Sports Network will broadcast the matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 30.
Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes Odds
Boston (+100) is entering this one as the underdog to Carolina (-120), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-130 for the under, +110 for the over).
The Hurricanes are 6-5 straight up (SU) and have recorded -0.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a welcome improvement over the 36-46 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Out of its 11 regular season contests, seven of them have gone under the total, while four have gone over and none have pushed. The team is 3-3 SU at home this season.
Carolina has converted on just 10.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places the team in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 67.6 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Carolina has been penalized 3.9 times per game this season. Last year, the club posted the lowest mark in the league with 2.7 penalties per game. After serving an average of 6.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 8.1 minutes per outing this season.
Sporting a .887 save percentage and 20.1 saves per game, Petr Mrazek (3-4-1) has been the primary option in goal for the Hurricanes this season. If they decide to give him the night off, however, the team may turn to Curtis McElhinney (3-1-1 record, .892 save percentage, 2.76 goals against average).
The Canes will continue to look for leadership from Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Aho (16 points) has put up four goals and 12 assists and has recorded two or more points three times this year. Teravainen has three goals and eight assists to his name and has notched at least one point in seven contests.
Boston is 6-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of seven of its contests have gone under the total, while four have gone over and none have pushed. As the road team, Boston is 2-4 SU so far.
Boston has scored on 28.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for ninth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 14th overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.4 percent of all penalties.
Boston’s players have been called for penalties 4.7 times per game this season, a number that’s risen some from the 3.8 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 9.4 penalty minutes per game a year ago (eighth-most in the league), the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 11.7 minutes per matchup this season.
Tuukka Rask (26.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Boston. Rask owns a 3-3 record, while registering a .902 save percentage and 3.15 goals against average this year.
Patrice Bergeron (seven goals, nine assists) and David Pastrnak (10 goals, five assists) have been the top playmakers for Boston and will pace the attack for the visiting Bruins.
Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes Betting Predictions
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Hurricanes, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in four of Carolina’s last five games.
- Boston has managed 28.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Carolina is averaging 39.2 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Hurricanes are 4-1 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 3-1 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
- After going 3-3 in games decided by a shootout last year, Carolina is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. Boston went 3-3 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
