A game that features two teams that’ve positioned themselves firmly in the playoff hunt, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins collide at TD Garden. This Eastern Conference matchup gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 3 and it’ll be televised live on New England Sports Network.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-155) is the favorite over Carolina (+135) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -115 for the over and -105 on the under.
The Bruins are 19-8 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 7.4 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked second in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 49-33 record from the 2018-19 season campaign. Of the team’s 27 games this season, 13 have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 11-4 SU at home this season.
Boston comes into the matchup with the best power-play unit in the NHL, as the team has scored on 31.6 percent of their extra-man advantages this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated seventh overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.7 percent of all penalties.
Boston, as a collective unit, has been whistled for penalties 3.9 times per game overall this season, and 4.8 per game over its last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties for 8.8 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
Averaging 28.5 saves per game with a .933 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (13-4-2) has been the primary option in goal for the Bruins this year. If the Bruins choose to give him a breather, however, the team could turn to Jaroslav Halak (6-4-4 record, .930 save percentage, 2.35 goals against average).
Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak will both lead the charge for the Bruins. Marchand (43 points) has tallied 18 goals and 25 assists and has recorded multiple points in 13 different games this year. Pastrnak has 25 goals and 17 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 19 contests.
Losing 1.4 units for moneyline bettors, Carolina is 16-11 straight up (SU) overall thus far. Through 27 regular season outings, 14 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and none have pushed. Carolina’s 8-6 SU as a road team this season.
Carolina has converted on 21.2 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 10th overall and it’s successfully killed off 84.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Carolina’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, 3.6 per game over their past five games total, and 3.8 per game over their last five on the road. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Petr Mrazek (2.68 goals against average and .901 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina. Mrazek is averaging 23.7 saves per game and owns an 11-7-1 record.
For the visiting Hurricanes, the offense will be heavily coordinated by Andrei Svechnikov (11 goals, 18 assists) and Dougie Hamilton (10 goals, 18 assists).
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone under in each of Carolina’s last five outings.
- The Hurricanes are 5-2 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 9-7 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total.
- Boston has averaged 9.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.1 takeaways per game (ranked 10th overall).
- Carolina has forced 7.0 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.7 takeaways per game (ranked third in the league).
