The NHL playoffs didn’t start off on a good note for the Boston Bruins as they were upended by the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1, on Monday night at PNC Arena.
The Hurricanes take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.
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ONE BIG TAKEWAY
The complexion of the the game could have changed in the first period if the Boston Bruins capitalized on their bevy of scoring chances.
The Bruins came out humming and threw nine shots on net through the opening six minutes, but had nothing to show for their consistent offensive pressure early on. Jake DeBrusk nearly pushed a puck across the goal line in the first period when the puck squirted by Carolina goalie Antti Raanta, but DeBrusk was denied by the Hurricanes’ defense.
The chances continued to come in abundance throughout the game as Boston finished with a 36-25 shot advantage. The missed opportunities proved costly, though, as within a span of 2:10 late in the second period, the Hurricanes put the Bruins in a 2-0 hole.
With Bruins trying to play catch up — never a good thing, especially in the playoffs — they couldn’t fully close the gap. In four matchups this season, three of those contests came in the regular season, the Hurricanes have outscored the Bruins, 21-2.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Raanta delivered an immense performance in-between the pipes for the Hurricanes in his first postseason start. Raanta, who is playing due to an injury to regular starter Frederik Andersen, routinely stymied Boston’s attack and recorded 35 saves.
— Taylor Hall notched the only goal for the Bruins. Hall’s tally at the time cut the deficit in half just 2:53 into the third period as he one-timed a pass from Charlie McAvoy into the back of the net.
— Nino Niederreiter’s goal, coming on a shot from the point, with 1:22 left in the second period proved to be the game-winner. Niederreiter also set the tone physically with a big hit on McAvoy.
WAGER WATCH
The Bruins and Hurricanes had very similar odds coming into Game 1. The Hurricanes were favored at -120, so bettors would have had to put a lot of money down to see a significant payout for Carolina winning.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins look to even up the series with Game 2 taking place on Wednesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game plus an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
