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Hurricanes Given +1800 Odds to Come Back From 3-0 Deficit to Bruins in ECF

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in NHL Hockey

Updated Apr 12, 2020 · 8:53 AM PDT

Carolina Hurricanes celebration
Only four teams have ralied from a 3-0 series deficit to win a Stanley Cup series. Can the Carolina Huricanes be the fourth? Photo By @NHLCanes (Twitter)
  • The Carolina Hurricanes trail the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the Eastern Conference final
  • Sportsbooks list them at +1800 to win the series
  • In Stanley Cup history, just four teams have come back to win after falling behind 3-0

The Carolina Hurricanes don’t need to take warning to know that the storm engulfing them isn’t likely to be survivable. Trailing the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the Eastern Conference final, the odds of a Carolina comeback are infinitesimal.

Updated Hurricanes vs Bruins Series Price

Team 2019 NHL Eastern Conference Final Odds
Carolina Hurricanes +1800
Boston Bruins -10000

*Odds taken 05/15/19

In Stanley Cup history, only four teams managed to win four in a row after falling behind 3-0 in a playoff series – the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975 New York Islanders, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

No wonder sportsbooks aren’t putting much faith in the Hurricanes. Carolina has odds of +1800 to do the near-impossible and rally to eliminate the Bruins.

Meanwhile, Boston’s odds of taking the series jumped from -700 to -10000 following a 2-1 Game 3 win.

The good news for Carolina is that of the four teams to achieve this feat, three of them – the Flyers, Kings and Leafs – all reached the Stanley Cup final. The Kings and Leafs both won the Cup.

Oh, and the Flyers? They came back to beat the Bruins.

So You’re Saying There’s a Chance?

The Bruins are the 194th team to gain a 3-0 advantage in a playoff series. Clubs with this lead have gone on to capture 189 series. If you’re doing the math, that works out to a 97.8 percent chance that Boston wins this set.

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The Bruins have controlled every aspect of this series. Their goaltending has been stronger. Their stars have played better, their role players have been dominant. Boston halted Carolina’s perfect 5-0 home record with a Game 3 win.

As frustration mounts, Carolina is the team losing its discipline and playing right into Boston’s hands.

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Hurricanes captain Justin Williams, a four-time Cup winner, best summed up how it’s been going for his squad when he noted that sometimes you just have to eat a poop sandwich.

Hurricanes Trending in Wrong Direction

Boston has won six in a row. The Bruins have experience on their side. They are a win away from their third trip to the Stanley Cup final since 2011.

Captain Zdeno Chara, goalie Tuukka Rask and forwards Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci were all part of the 2010 Bruins team that squandered their 3-0 series lead and lost to Philly. You know that haunting memory will be emphasized in the Boston dressing room, in case any of the younger Bruins already think this set is all done.

In the opening round of this spring’s Eastern Conference playoffs, the Islanders swept the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the second round, the Hurricanes swept the Islanders.

Anyone else noticing a trend here?

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Don’t even bet Carolina to win Game 4. Ride the Bruins and play the sweep.

The Hurricanes have been downgraded to chance of showers of tears among their fanbase.

Carolina is done.

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