Boston Bruins will meet the Carolina Hurricanes to open Sunday’s action in the NHL 2021-22 playoffs. The hosts search for another victory that can help them get the things even in this series. The away side wants to bounce back and get closer to the conference semi-finals.
Boston wasn’t successful in the first two matches of the series on the road, but they booked a win in front of the home crowd. Another success would see them being leveled with their rivals in this tie. On the other hand, Carolina searches for a break on the road, which could bring them just one win away from the next stage. However, they need to put a better performance than in the most recent game.
Boston Bruins – Can they celebrate in another game at home?
The Bruins are back in the series after beating the Hurricanes in Game 3. That victory helped them hold their rivals to two wins, and they could move the series back to Raleigh in a tie if they celebrate again. However, things didn’t start well for Boston in Game 3. They were 1-0 down at the beginning of the match, but they managed to turn around the result, entering the last period with a 3-1 advantage. It was their first win after three straight defeats, and the Bruins want to build up on their latest performance. Boston had one shot more than their rivals and won six faceoffs more than Carolina.
Brad Marchand has contributed the most to the Bruins’ offense during the playoffs with a goal and a team-high three assists. Patrice Bergeron has three points, including two goals and one assist, while Taylor Hall has also found the back of the net twice in the post-season. Charlie Coyle, Charlie McAvoy, and David Pastrnak also managed to chip in with two points each in the playoffs. On the goal, Jeremy Swayman replaced Linus Ullmark and had a .926 save percentage on Friday evening.
Expected Line-Up: Jeremy Swayman, Derek Forbort, Charlie McAvoy, Taylor Hall, Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak
with best odds
Carolina Hurricanes – Will they beat their rivals on the road?
The Hurricanes’ winning streak came to an end on Friday evening after they lost 4-2 in TD Garden. Nevertheless, they won’t give up on celebrating on the road and getting very close to the conference semi-finals. Although they took the lead in Game 3, they eventually failed to beat the Bruins again. Carolina won six faceoffs less than their rivals, while they also had one shot less in that encounter. Nevertheless, the visitors want to get back to the winning track and move the series back home with an advantage.
Vincent Trocheck, Tony DeAngelo, and Jaccob Slavin have led the Hurricanes’ offense in the post-season with four points each. Tony DeAngelo tops the assists charts with four, while Nino Niederreiter is the team’s top scorer with three goals. Sebastian Aho has also contributed to Carolina’s offense with three points, while three other skaters chipped in with two pts. Regarding the goaltending, Antti Raanta has an excellent .976 save percentage, while Frederik Andersen is still out of the contest.
Expected Line-Up: Antti Raanta, Tony DeAngelo, Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen
Expert Pick #1 – Hurricanes to win @+115
Although they lost in Game 3, the Hurricanes have dominated the Bruins lately. They managed to beat them five times on the previous six occasions, and I fancy taking them as my first pick in an underdog role at the plus money odds. I think the Canes will return home with a 3-1 advantage.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 5.5 @-125
All three games in the playoffs went over a 5.5 margin, while we saw six or more goals in their previous five encounters. I expect these two sides to follow the same pattern and produce more than five goals in this one as well. Give me the Over as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Hurricanes Over 2.5 @-140
They failed to score more than two goals in the most recent game, but Carolina has a very talented offense, and I believe they will be more clinical in Game 4. The visitors should score at least three goals, and that’s going to be my third pick for this matchup.
