After more than six months and 2,600-plus games — dozens of which had to be rescheduled because of that ongoing menace known as COVID-19 — we’ve finally reached the best part of the NHL season. No, not the part when everyone tries to guess how long it will take Boston’s Brad Marchand to be suspended for delivering yet another cheap shot (although that’s always enjoyable).
Rather, we’re talking about the two-month quest to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup. The 16-team chase begins Monday, with a quartet of first-round games — two in each conference — on the NHL playoff odds board each night going forward.
Props.com will examine Stanley Cup odds and provide betting insights throughout the postseason. It starts with a preview of Bruins vs Hurricanes odds for Game 1 of what’s expected to be a long, grueling series.
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 5 p.m. ET on May 2.
Game 1: Boston Bruins Vs Carolina Hurricanes
Puck drop/TV: 7:07 p.m. ET/ESPN
Moneyline: Hurricanes -125/Bruins +105
Puckline: Hurricanes -1.5 (+215)/Bruins +1.5 (-270)
Total: 5.5 (Over -120/Under even)
Series Price: Hurricanes -120/Bruins even
Season Series: Carolina won, 3-0
Slap Shots
Boston (51-26-5, 107 points): Earned the top wild card in the Eastern Conference after finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division, just three points behind third-place (and two-time defending Cup champion) Tampa Bay. … Averaged 3.09 goals per game (15th) and allowed 2.66 (fourth). … Closed the season on a 6-2 run, losing the season finale 5-2 at Toronto. … Seven of the last nine games stayed Under the total. … Tied for the most road wins in the league (25-13-3). … Finished 13th in the NHL betting standings (+2.01 units).
Carolina (54-20-8, 116 points): Won the Metropolitan Division and finished with the third-most points in the NHL, trailing only Florida (122) and Colorado (119). … Averaged 3.8 goals per game (ninth) and allowed an NHL-low 2.44. … Closed the season on a six-game winning streak, part of an 8-2 finish. … Seven of the last 10 games went Over the total. … Went 29-8-4 at home. … Finished sixth in the NHL betting standings (+5.78 units).
Playoff History
The Bruins are making their sixth consecutive appearance, having advanced to at least the second round each of the last four years.
The Hurricanes are making their fourth straight appearance, which follows a nine-year postseason drought. Carolina lost in the second round of last year’s playoffs.
Betting Nugget
Carolina outscored Boston 16-1 in the three regular-season meetings, posting home wins of 7-1 and 6-0. The favorite is 22-8 in the last 30 Bruins-Canes clashes.
Game 1 Best Bet
Hurricanes on the moneyline.
Bruins vs Hurricanes Odds and Action
UPDATE 5 P.M. ET MONDAY: Two hours before puck drop, Carolina is a -125 favorite in PointsBet USA’s Bruins vs Hurricanes odds market, with Boston +105 on the buyback. The Hurricanes opened -115 Saturday and spent much of the weekend at -120. Carolina returned to -115 for a couple of hours this morning before rising to the current -125. Moneyline ticket count is approaching 2.5/1 and moneyline cash is 3/1 on the Hurricanes.
The total opened at 6 (Under -120) and spent most of the past couple days at various iterations of 5.5. It’s currently 5.5 (Over -120), with ticket count 2/1 on the Over and money 3/2 on the Under.
UPDATE 1:40 P.M. ET MONDAY: On Saturday afternoon, DraftKings installed Carolina as a -115 favorite, with Boston at -105. The Hurricanes stretched out to -120 within a couple of hours, but they’ve since toggled between -120 and -130, bouncing between -120 and -125 this morning. The current line is Carolina -120/Boston +100, and the betting action is split with 76% of the wagers on the host Canes but 53% of the money on the visiting Bruins.
The total opened at 6 (Under -120) on Saturday but fell to 5.5 (Over -120) within a few hours. After several juice adjustments, the total is now sitting at 5.5 (Over -115). The Over is taking the bulk of the action, at 75% wagers/82% cash.
