Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins Expert Game 1 Picks Against the Spread 5/9/2019

Thursday, May 9, 2019

TD Garden

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Carolina Hurricanes travel to TD Garden to play the Boston Bruins on Thursday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hurricanes are coming off a series sweep of the Islanders to continue their improbable run after beating the defending champion Capitals in the 1st round. The Bruins, meanwhile, beat the Blue Jackets in 6 games after going 7 games against Toronto in round 1. The opening line for Game 1 has the Hurricanes at +135 and the Bruins at -149.

Carolina had a regular season record of 46-29-7 this season. They were 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 243 goals and given up 221 goals for a point differential of +22. For the season they have an ATS record of 54-39-0 and an over/under record of 41-50-0. Boston was 49-24-9 this season. They were 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 257 goals and surrendered 212 for a goal differential of +45. Their record against the spread is 57-38-0 while their over/under record is 39-52-0.

Valuable Carolina Hurricanes Betting Trends

The Carolina Hurricanes are 54-39-0 straight up this year

The Carolina Hurricanes are 41-50-0 against the over/under this season

Important Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins are 57-38-0 straight up this year

The Boston Bruins are 39-52-0 against the over/under this season

Key Carolina Hurricanes Injuries

05/06/19 LW Micheal Ferland Upper Body is questionable is questionable Thursday vs Boston
05/06/19 GO Petr Mrazek Lower Body is questionable Thursday vs Boston
05/06/19 RW Saku Maenalanen Upper Body is out indefinitely
05/05/19 D Trevor van Riemsdyk Upper Body is out for season

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

05/07/19 D Charlie McAvoy Suspension is out Thursday vs Carolina
05/06/19 D John Moore Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Carolina
05/06/19 C Noel Acciari Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Carolina
04/20/19 D Kevan Miller Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Jordan Staal has accumulated 28 total points this season for the Hurricanes. He has 11 goals this year with 121 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 9%. He has a total of 17 assists on the season and averages 18.3 minutes played per game. Justin Williams averages 17.4 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 23 goals on 237 shots. He has 30 assists, giving him a total of 53 points on the season. Petr Mrazek has 23 wins and 14 losses this season in net for the Hurricanes. He has 1,104 shots against him and he's given up 95 goals. He's made 1,009 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Brad Marchand has scored 100 total points this year for the Bruins. He has 36 goals this season with 231 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 64 assists on the season and averages 19.6 minutes played per game. David Pastrnak averages 18.8 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 38 goals on 235 shots. He has 43 assists, giving him a total of 81 points on the season. Tuukka Rask has 27 wins and 13 losses this year in goal for the Bruins. He has 1,245 shots against him and he's surrendered 109 goals. He's made 1,136 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Hurricanes have 99 total points this season, which ranks them 10th in the NHL. They are 16th in the league in goals scored with 243 while they've given up 221 goals, ranking them 25th overall. They have had 247 power play opportunities and have scored 44 goals on those chances for a percentage of 18%. That is 20th in the NHL. The Hurricanes have allowed 239 power play opportunities and have given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 8th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.61% for the season. They allow 29 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 13th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins are 2nd in the NHL with a total of 107 points this year. They have 65 power play goals on 251 opportunities for a percentage of 26%. That ranks them 3rd in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 244 power play opportunities and have given up 49 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That is 16th in the NHL. As a team, the Bruins are 11th in the league with 257 goals scored while they've given up 212 goals, which is 28th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.59%. As a team they give up 29 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 7th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Carolina is 1st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 54.9%, as they've attempted 5,296 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,355 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 54.9% as they have 4,036 attempts while they have given up 3,311 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 1st in the league. The Hurricanes start possessions in the offensive zone 54.3% of the time, which is 2nd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 45.7% for the season. That is 30th overall in the NHL. They have 2,436 face-off wins compared to 2,532 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49%. That ranks them 24th in the league. On defense Carolina has 2,073 hits and they have blocked 1,044 shots from the opposition, putting them 29th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Bruins are 7th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 53.5% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 46.5% for the season, which is 25th in the NHL. They have 2,454 face-off wins compared to 2,385 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.7%. That is 10th in the league. On defense Boston has 1,876 hits and they have blocked 1,050 shots from the opposition, which is 28th in the league. Boston is 6th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 52.6% as they've attempted 4,846 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,374 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 52.9% ranks 5th as they have 3,732 attempts while they have given up 3,324 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Hurricanes/Bruins NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Boston -149

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