NHL Playoffs: Game 3 of Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday Night

Bruins Looking to Take Total Control of Hurricanes

The Boston Bruins came away with a 5-2 victory at home over the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals. They followed that up with a dominant 6-2 victory in Game 2 on Sunday. The series heads back to Carolina tonight. The Hurricanes have the daunting task of coming back from a 2-0 series deficit against a quality Boston team.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS LINE: Hurricanes -117; O/U: 5.5 Under -113.

It’s hard to put all of the blame on Hurricanes’ goaltender Petr Mrazek. Even though he did give up 11 goals through the first two games, it wasn't all on him. One would expect maybe a change in the nets, but that has yet to be seen. Curtis McElhinney owns a .947 save percentage in these playoffs and has won every game he’s played in, but will he get a chance to shine? He might just be what Carolina needs to get back into this series.

Carolina overcame a 2-0 series deficit against reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington in the opening round. They have shown they can come back. The team needs to make a statement that it can play with Boston.

The Bruins came from behind to win each of their first two series but they have outscored the Hurricanes 11-4. This has allowed them to extend their postseason winning streak to five games. Boston will look to maintain the series advantage by stealing a game in Carolina. Marcus Johansson has led the Bruins with a goal and three assists through the first two games of the series. It has been Boston’s depth that has given the Hurricanes so much difficulty.

This, That, and a Dart Throw

Perhaps the best sign for Boston in the Game 2 mauling was that its vaunted No. 1 unit contributed only two assists. The third line of Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson and Dalton Heinen combined for seven points. That boosted their totals to 11 goals and 17 assists in the playoffs. Krug and his fellow blue-liners did their part Sunday. They supplied three goals and three assists. Krug became the fifth Boston defenseman to register three assists in multiple games in the postseason. Boston is 4-for-9 on the power play versus Carolina. The squad has had 19 different players score in the playoffs, matching a franchise record.

The Hurricanes need to stay healthy and get some luck. Petr Mrazek was hurt in Game 2 of the second round against the New York Islanders. He did not return until the series opener against Boston. He said the injury and the long layoff were not factors in giving up 10 goals in the first two games. "I'm feeling good, no issue with that," Mrazek said. "I don't think it was that long a break, maybe nine or 10 days. I was feeling pretty good. I'm not going to look past, just look forward to the next one." Coach Rod Brind'Amour acknowledged that he is contemplating a change in net for Game 3. That would mean a switch to McElhinney. He earned three wins by turning aside 71 of 75 shots in 7 1/2 periods against New York. F Teuvo Teravainen has scored four times in four games to lift his team-high total to seven goals.

The Dart Throw: Hurricanes 3, Bruins 1

NHL Playoffs Betting Odds & Trends

Boston Bruins
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games on the road
Boston is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Carolina
Boston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 9 games when playing Carolina
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina

Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Carolina is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games
Carolina is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Carolina is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Boston
Carolina is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Carolina's last 9 games when playing Boston
Carolina is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston

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