Hurricanes vs Bruins Game 1 Odds & Pick – Aug 12

• Game 1 of the Carolina Hurricanes-Boston Bruins best-of-seven series has been moved to Wednesday at 11:00 am ET
• Hurricanes goalies Petr Mrazek and James Reimer stopped 84 of 88 shots in qualifying round against New York Rangers
• Underdog Hurricanes (+114) are the hotter team going into the first round

The Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes will maybe feel a hint of deja vu when they play Game 1 of their best-of-seven playoff series on Wednesday morning (8:00 pm ET).

Hurricanes vs Bruins Game 1 Odds

Odds as of August 10.

Fifteen months ago the Bruins and Hurricanes met in the Eastern Conference Final. But  the ‘Canes are different than they were in 2019 when the Bruins won the series to reach the Stanley Cup Final. When they played in 2019, the Hurricanes were making their first playoff appearance in a decade.

Today’s Carolina team is far more polished. This Rod Brind’Amour-coached team is more big-game tested and has higher expectations. But they are facing a veteran Bruins team that was the NHL’s No. 1 team in the regular-season.  Boston was the NHL’s top defensive team (2.39 goals per game) and No. 2 power play team (25.25).

Despite a sluggish round-robin performance, going 0-3-0, the Bruins vs Hurricanes odds favor Boston.

How They Got Here

The Boston Bruins were the No. 1 seed, but they didn’t play like one in the round-robin games to determine first-round seeding. They lost all three games to the Philadelphia Flyers,  Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals and, as a result, enter the first-round proper as the #4 seed in the East.

Coach Bruce Cassidy’s team didn’t resemble the team it was in the regular season, managing only to score four goals in three games.  They looked sluggish, out of sync, unmotivated.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes turned in an impressive performance in sweeping an up-and-coming New York Rangers team in the best-of-five series. The Hurricanes were the only team to record a qualifying round sweep. They outscored the Rangers 11-4.

Dougie Hamilton Should Return to Carolina Lineup

Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who missed the series against the Rangers because of an undisclosed injury, may be ready for Game 1 against the Bruins, according to multiple reports.

Hamilton played the best hockey of his career in 2019-20, registering 14 goals and 40 points in 47 games. His booming shot from the point creates plenty of offense, particularly on the power play.  Presuming he will play full-time minutes, Hamilton will likely be reunited with Jaccob Slavin on Carolina’s top defensive pairing.

Dougie Hamilton is on the ice for #Canes practice today. pic.twitter.com/t8JOEqI4zM

— Michael Smith (@MSmithCanes) August 6, 2020

Bruins Need Top Line to Find Its Game

In the Boston’s three round-robin games, the Bruins No. 1 line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron,and David Pastrnak had no goals and one assist. The three players were a combined -7.

Boston fans are hoping the Bruins’ top offensive players simply couldn’t get motivated by seeding games, but their uninspired play was alarming.  Marchand averaged 19:34 minutes per game and only managed five shots on goal in three games.

That trio, often unstoppable, sets the tone for the Bruins’ offense and, if they are not sharp, the Bruins can look ordinary. Boston is going to have difficulty beating the Hurricanes if they count on Chris Wagner and Jake DeBrusk to do their scoring.

Believe What You See

Numbers say the Boston Bruins are a better team than the Carolina Hurricanes. But anyone watching the qualifying round would have to conclude that the Hurricanes have improved over the long layoff and the Bruins have not recovered from it.

Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci have to improve. The Bruins are not long for the bubble if they don’t. https://t.co/sp8HD7hGR2

— Fluto Shinzawa (@FlutoShinzawa) August 8, 2020

While the Bruins’ top line has struggled, Carolina’s top scorer, Sebastian Aho, has produced three goals and eight points in three games while Andrei Svechnikov has netted four goals in three games. Teuvo Teravainen has a “wow” factor to his playmaking ability.

Boston should own an advantage in net with Tuukka Rask, but Carolina’s goalies have played extremely well.

Game 1 pick: Hurricanes (+114)