After a Eastern Conference playoffs that has been full of surprises including an unprecedented first round sweep of the Presidents Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the Eastern Conference Finals will begin on Thursday with at least some degree of normalcy. The Boston Bruins will have home ice advantage in the best of seven series and their presence at this stage of the postseason is not surprising. They were the #2 seeded team in the Eastern Conference and were tied with Calgary for the second most points in the NHL (107).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their opponent in the finals is a definite surprise. The Carolina Hurricanes were expected to go quietly in the playoffs and that appeared to be playing out after they fell behind 0-2 to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals. The Hurricanes had other plans and have lost only one game since. They dispatched the Capitals in seven games with a comeback from a two goal deficit and a double overtime winner in the decisive contest. They made quick work of the New York Islanders via a four game sweep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boston enters this series after putting an end to the other surprise team in the East, the Columbus Blue Jackets, in six games. Boston trailed the series 2-1 early on but won three straight games–including two on the road–to punch their ticket to the Conference Finals. They received excellent goaltending from Tuukka Rask throughout the series with the Blue Jackets and he’ll be expected to continue that form as the Bruins look to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carolina hasn’t been to the finals since their Stanley Cup winning season in 2006. One of the most remarkable things about the Hurricanes’ playoff run is that they’ve done it despite a number of significant injuries. Many teams wouldn’t have recovered from losing their starting goalie before a decisive Game 7. The Hurricanes were in that precise situation after Petr Mrazek was injured in Game 6 but they got a strong effort from backup Curtis McElhinney in what was his first career playoff start in Game 7 against Washington. Mrazek was a full participant at Monday’s practice and the expectation is that he’ll start Game 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the other corner, Boston will definitely be without defenseman Charlie McAvoy for the opening game of the series at the TD Garden. McAvoy has been suspended one game by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Columbus forward Josh Anderson in Game 6 of that series. The NHL had the option to issue a longer suspension but chose to limit it to one game–it was the first suspension of McAvoy’s career and the league accepted his assertion that there was no deliberate attempt to injure his opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This should be a very competitive series and the Hurricanes will enter Game 1 with several more days of rest after sweeping the Islanders. Time off isn’t always a good thing in playoff hockey as teams can lose their momentum. In Carolina’s case, however, their injury situation was such that a few extra days between games could be a difference maker. We’ll take the underdog NHL hockey odds<\/a> price and back the Hurricanes to steal Game 1 on the Bruins’ home ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n