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The Carolina Hurricanes (2-0) and Boston Bruins (0-2) meet for Game 3 of their 1st-round Eastern Conference playoff series Friday at TD Garden in Boston. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we look at the Hurricanes vs. Bruins odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Hurricanes lost goaltender Antti Raanta to a lower-body injury in the first period after a collision with Bruins star David Pastrnak. Enter rookie Pyotr Kochetkov, who made 30 saves on 32 shots to earn the victory.
The B’s have been outscored 10-3 through the first two games of this series, while going 0-5 in five meetings overall against the Hurricanes. Carolina has outscored Boston 26-4 across those five outings.
Hurricanes at Bruins odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:30 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Hurricanes +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | Bruins -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Hurricanes +1.5 (-270) | Bruins -1.5 (+190)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: -105)
Hurricanes at Bruins projected goalies
Pyotr Kochetkov (3-0-0, 2.42 GAA, .902 SV%, 0 SO – regular season) vs. Jeremy Swayman (23-14-3, 2.41 GAA, .914 SV%, 3 SO – regular season)
Kochetkov emerged as a hero in Game 2, not only for coming on in relief and steadying the ship, but also getting into a small skirmish with Brad Marchand. The Russian rookie is drawing comparisons to Cam Ward and the 2006 Stanley Cup championship run, which saw Ward emerge from nowhere to become a star. Can Kochetkov follow suit?
Head coach Bruce Cassidy changes course, rolling with Swayman over Linus Ullmark, who was snowed under in the first two games in Raleigh. Swayman faced the Hurricanes just once, way back on Oct. 28 at PNC Arena, allowing two goals on 23 shots in a 3-0 loss.
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Hurricanes at Bruins picks and predictions
Prediction
Hurricanes 3, Bruins 2
Money line
The HURRICANES (+102) are slight underdogs, but they have shown very few signs of slowing down against the Bruins (-125). While yes, the change of venue should help the home side, Boston was outscored 13-1 in two home games against Carolina in two regular-season losses.
Against the spread
The Hurricanes +1.5 (-270) will cost you over two-and-a-half times your potential return, and that’s just too much risk for not enough reward. If you like Carolina, and you should, play them straight up.
AVOID.
Over/Under
UNDER 5.5 (-105) is worth playing lightly. The Over is the dominant trend for the Canes, but the Under is 8-3-2 in the past 13 for the Bruins, and 5-0-1 in their past six games at home. The change to Swayman should slow down the Carolina offense somewhat, and Kochetkov certainly looked capable in Game 2.
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