Boston Bruins (20-17-3-1 SU, 21-20 PL, 16-20-5 O/U) vs Carolina Hurricanes (17-15-3-4 SU, 24-15 PL, 14-18-7 O/U)
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 8, 2017
Where: PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
Lines: Carolina -130/Boston +110
Total: 5
Sunday NHL hockey action and the Boston Bruins will battle it out with Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Bruins come in off a road game in Florida on Saturday afternoon, while the Hurricanes are off a 2-1 loss in Chicago. The Under has gone 6-1-4 the last 11 games in this series.
Bruins Still Struggling At Home
The Boston Bruins had a lot of problems playing at home last year and that was a pretty big reason why they missed the postseason. In their last home game they fell 4-3 against the Oilers and have now gone just 2-5 in their last seven home games and just 9-10 at home overall for the year. Just something about the Garden that does not allow them to play well. They are now 20-21 on the year overall and are sitting 10 points out of first in the Atlantic. Scoring in the loss to the Oilers was Colin Miller, which was his 3rd of the year, Patrice Bergeron, which was his 8th of the year and David Krejci, which was his 9th of the year. The offense just hasn’t been as good as last year, while the goaltending has been much better so it is a wash there, but until they start learning to win at home, then they will continue to be on the bubble of the playoffs.
Taking the loss vs the Oilers was Tuukka Rask, who is now 19-12 with a 2.00 GAA on the year. Zane McIntyre is slated to get the start in this one and he has gone 0-2 with a 4.04 GAA in three games played. Boston enters this contest ranked 25th in the league in scoring at 2.34 gpg, while also ranking 2nd in shots taken (33.6 spg) and 26th in power play conversions, converting on 14.5% of their chances. At the defensive end of the ice they have been solid so far, ranking 8th in goals allowed, giving up 2.44 gpg, while also ranking 4th in shots allowed (27.1) and 2nd in penalty kill, allowing teams to convert on 12.3% of their chances.
Hurricanes Take Tough Loss Vs Blackhawks
The Carolina Hurricanes are not playing well at the moment as they have lost three of their last four games and they have scored just one goal in all three losses. This has been a team that has struggled on offense for much of the year. In their last game, they fell at Chicago by a 2-1 score, despite the fact that they outshot them 40-24 in the game. All they were able to muster was just one goal, which came with five seconds left in the 2nd period. That goal was scored by Victor Rask, which was his 1st in his last 10 games and his 11th of the year. If this team continues to struggle at the offensive end of the ice, then they will continue to struggle in the standings. They have been getting decent play in the crease on most night, but those efforts have been wasted, thanks to poor offense.
Taking the loss against the Blackhawks was Cam Ward, who is now 14-18 with a 2.26 GAA on the year, including 9-4 with a 1.92 GAA here at home, while vs the Bruins in his career he has gone 15-19 with a 2.54 GAA. Carolina comes in ranked 19th in the league in scoring at 2.51 gpg, while also ranking 13th in shots taken (30.2 spg) and 16th in power play conversions, converting on 18.3% of their chances. At the defensive end of the ice they have been rather average as they come in ranked 10th in goals allowed, giving up 2.59 gpg, while also ranking 3rd in shots allowed (27.0) and 1st in penalty kill, allowing teams to convert on 12.1% of their chances.
Trends
Boston is:
- The Under is 18-8-5 in their last 31 games playing on 0 days rest
- The Under is 15-7-6 in their last 28 in the third game of a 3-in-4 days situation.
Carolina is:
- The Under is 12-4-6 in their last 22 vs. Eastern Conference
- The Under is 4-1-4 in their last nine in the third game of a 3-in-4 days situation
The Boston Bruins are a tricky team and very hard to figure out right now. They do seem to play better on the road than at home, but they are not playing well overall at the moment. The Canes have not been playing well for much of the season/ Let’s take a look at the total in this one. Cam Ward has played very well at home and he has a 1.92 GAA here at PNC Arena. On offense, the Canes have scored just one goal in three of their last four games and while Boston will be sending out a goalie that has struggled, I just don’t see this Carolina offense getting much in the game. The Bruins have struggled on offense this year and the Canes have allowed two goals or less in six of their last nine games. Take the Under in this one.