Bruins vs Hurricanes odds - Bruins too physical for 'Canes

Online sports betting handicappers are excited for the second round of the NHL playoffs. Now that we’ve weeded out the frauds, we’re left with eight solid teams, which will present us with some exciting hockey over the next couple weeks. The top-seeded Boston Bruins will host the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, with the Hurricanes being the only lower seed to win in the first round.

Let’s take a closer look at the series:

Bruins vs Canes odds: Bruins -200 to win series

• Bruins have been resting and waiting for the Hurricanes
• Hurricanes confident heading into second round
• Canes struggled against Bruins in regular season

The second round of the Eastern Conference is going to be very entertaining. While many people will keep their eye on the Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby matchup in the other series, the Bruins vs Canes odds figures to be very intriguing.

The Bruins will be rested for this series after sweeping the Montreal Canadiens in just four games. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes will be a bit fatigued after going toe-to-toe with the New Jersey Devils for seven games. Generally speaking, the fatigue advantage should be noticeable in Game 1, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will affect the Bruins vs Hurricanes odds for the entire series.

One major difference that the Hurricanes will have to overcome is the physicality of the Bruins. The Devils - the Canes first-round opponent - were more of a finesse team than a brute team, which is an adjustment they’ll have to make. The Bruins might be just as tough defensively, though, as they allowed only six goals to the Canadiens in their first-round series. That concern should be a chiefly one for those investing in the Bruins vs Canes odds.

The Hurricanes and Bruins squared off four times in the regular season, with Boston winning every time. More importantly, the Canes failed to score more than two goals in any single game. The Bruins outscored the Canes 18-6 in their regular season meetings. Even so, expect the Canes to be confident as they finished the regular season on a 20-8-2 run and then upset the higher-seeded Devils in round one.

The Hurricanes are actually surprisingly good in the month of May, which obviously not many teams play in. (The Hurricanes franchise is 16-5 in May.) Although a lot of people love the Boston home team in the Bruins vs Canes odds, the reality is that Hurricanes are more battled tested, they have more experience and they have lots of confidence right.

The Bruins vs Hurricanes odds for this series will be a classic matchup of size versus speed and with the Hurricanes rediscovering their speed game, expect them to pull the upset after a sluggish start to the series.

DON’S PICK: Hurricanes in 6

For more sports betting lines and hockey betting analysis, visit the Betting Edge throughout the Stanley Cup betting playoffs.

Who better to offer great sports betting and hockey tips than a native Canadian? Like any good Canuck, Don Melrose eats, sleeps, breathes and bets hockey, making him the perfect NHL handicapper. Thoughts or questions?