The Carolina Hurricanes will host the Boston Bruins Saturday afternoon in a Game 7 to decide which team heads to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Hurricanes once held a 2-0 advantage in the series before Boston rallied off victories in Games 3 and 4 to tie things up. Carolina once again took control of the series, winning Game 5, 5-1, before the Bruins won Game 6, 5-2, to force a deciding Game 7.
Hurricanes Look to Regain Goal-Scoring Touch
Carolina opened the series against Boston scoring ten goals over the first two games, both victories. Since then, the Bruins have held the Hurricanes under wraps, as Carolina has managed to score only 11 combined goals over the last four games of the series.
So far these playoffs, 11 different Hurricanes have scored goals, and six players have at least two goals or more. Vincent Trocheck, Seth Jarvis, Nino Niederreiter, and Andrei Svechnikov have three goals apiece, while Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho have scored two.
Hurricanes’ goaltender Antti Raanta also looks to bounce back after allowing four goals off 33 Bruins’ shots in Game 6. Raanta has been solid for the playoffs, posting a .926 SV% and a 2.46 GAA for a 2-2 record.
On the injury report, only forward Jordan Martinook is listed as questionable.
Bruins Hope to Ride Momentum of Game 6 Victory
While Carolina has had trouble scoring in the series lately, the Bruins have had trouble finding the back of the net in all three games in Carolina. Boston scored three combined goals over Games 1 and 2 and scored just once in its Game 5 loss. It was just the opposite at home, where the Bruins scored four goals or more in all three games on home ice.
Brad Marchand has led the way in the goal-scoring department for the Bruins, leading the team with four goals during the playoffs. Patrice Bergeron has three goals, while Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak, and Taylor Hall have two tallies.
That group will need to break through on Saturday against a Carolina defense allowing an NHL-low 2.45 GF/G
Goaltender Jeremy Swayman has played steady in net for the Bruins, going 3-1 in the playoffs with a .913 SV% and 2.51 GAA.
On the injury front for the Bruins, Jakub Zboril and Jesper Froden are listed as out. Matt Grzelcyk is listed as questionable.
Bruins /Hurricanes Betting Prediction
Since moving to Carolina from Hartford, the Hurricanes are a perfect 5-0 in Game 7’s. Meanwhile, the Bruins have played more Game 7’s than any team in NHL history, 28, and have won more Game 7’s than any team in NHL history with 15. The home team has won the last six meetings between the two teams.
Carolina is the home favorite at -120 with an over/under six goals. We’ve seen a high-scoring series so far, but expect a lower-scoring affair in Game 7. Take the Hurricanes at -120 and the under in this one.
