Bruins vs. Hurricanes Game 1 Odds and Prediction (Can Carolina Win Without Frederick Andersen?)

The puck drops for the NHL Playoffs at 7 pm EST tonight when the Boston Bruins take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series.

The Hurricanes finished as the top seed in the Metropolitan Division, and the Bruins finished as the first wild card team. Many people think that if there's a wild card team that could go on a deep run in the postseason, it's the Bruins.

The Hurricanes will be without their star goaltender, Frederick Andersen, tonight. He's still recovering from an injury and his timetable to return as yet to be officially announced.

Let's take a look at the odds via WynnBET for tonight's Game 1 action.

Bruins vs. Hurricanes Odds and Total

Moneyline:

• Bruins +100
• Hurricanes -120

Puck line:

• Bruins +1.5 (-270)
• Hurricanes -1.5 (+220)

Total:

• 5.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Bruins vs. Hurricanes Betting Trends

• The UNDER is 7-2 in the Bruins; last nine games.
• Bruins are 14-5 in their last 19 games vs. Hurricanes.
• Bruins are 13-6 in their last 19 road games.
• Hurricanes are 6-0 in their last six games.
• The OVER is 5-2 in the Hurricanes' last seven games.

Bruins vs. Hurricanes Prediction and Pick

Both the odds for this game and the odds for the series are an overreaction to the injury of Carolina goaltender Frederick Andersen. I'm especially not worried about who will be in net for them considering the Bruins rank 30th in the NHL in shooting percentage over their last 25 games.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes continue to be the darlings of advanced analytics. Over the same period of time, they rank first in CORSI%, second in expected goals per 60 minutes, and third in expected goals against per 60 minutes.

The Hurricanes won the Metro for a reason, and I have faith in them to win Game 1, even without Andersen in between the pipes.

Pick: Hurricanes -120

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