The Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes both endured a 7-game slugfest in the first round before dispatching their second-round opponents with slightly more ease. Boston has a 3-0 lead in this series and looks to close it out in Carolina tonight. The Hurricanes will need to fight this one out and keep the series going if they want another chance to head back to Boston. Game 4: Boston at Carolina (BOS leads 3-0) Date: Thursday, May 16 Time: 7:30 pm TV: NBCSN Live Stream: fuboTV ( watch for free ) Many consider the Bruins to be the new Cup favorites with Tampa Bay out of the picture. But the Hurricanes took down the reigning champion Washington Capitals in the first round before destroying the Islanders in four games. Luckily for fans and neutrals alike, the Hurricanes and Bruins have played three torrid games already this season, as the Bruins took 2 of the 3, the last game went to OT, and they racked up a combined 20 goals. A Hurricanes team led by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen in the regular season have been buoyed by incredible balance in the playoffs. Aho and Teravainen are still performing, but Jaccob Slavin, Warren Foegele, and Jordan Staal each have at least nine points. This cast of jerks will lead the line for the Hurricanes. The Bruins, meanwhile, have some familiar faces from their 2011 Stanley Cup run. Brad Marchand is still playing the evil villain while racking up a league second-best 13 points in the playoffs. David Krejci is still scoring clutch goals and Patrice Bergeron is still chipping in. The rise of Charlie Coyle has been not only a great story but a crucial piece of their success in the first round. More than anyone, though, netminder Tuukka Rask has been sensational, posting 408 saves, a .938 save percentage, and too many clutch ones to count at that. This is going to be a great series between two surging teams. If Boston can forget the seeds and prepare for this lethal ‘Canes squad properly, perhaps they should remain favorites. But Carolina has shown all playoffs long that they can not only surprise you, but they can also knock you out. We’ll see who throws the first punch. We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.<doc-sep>The Boston Bruins open up the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night in Game 1. Keep it here for live score updates and stats from the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup. The Bruins advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after dispatching the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games. They enter the series with a hot goalie in Tuukka Rask, but will be without defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is suspended for Game 1 due to a hit to the head in the Bruins’ previous game. Here’s all the live stream, start time, and TV channel info you need to watch the game once the puck drops. Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Game 1 Start time/Date: 8:00 p.m. | Thursday, May 9 Location: TD Garden | Boston, Massachusetts TV channel: NBCSN Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity,Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling Live stream: NBC Sports | fuboTV (free trial) BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes in game one of the Eastern Conference finals. The teams meet Thursday for the fourth time this season. Boston went 2-1 against Carolina during the regular season. The Bruins are 29-9-3 on their home ice. Boston averages 9.7 penalty minutes per game, the second-most in the NHL. Brad Marchand leads the team serving 96 total minutes. The Hurricanes are 27-21-4 in conference matchups. Carolina has converted on 17.8 percent of power-play opportunities, recording 44 power-play goals. TOP PERFORMERS: Patrice Bergeron leads the Bruins with a plus-23 in 65 games played this season. David Pastrnak has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Boston. Teuvo Teravainen leads the Hurricanes with 55 total assists and has recorded 76 points. Warren Foegele has five goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Carolina. DURING THE PLAYOFFS: Hurricanes: Averaging 3.1 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.7 penalties and 8.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game with a .918 save percentage. Bruins: Averaging 3.1 goals, 4.9 assists, 2.9 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .936 save percentage. Bruins Injuries: Noel Acciari: day to day (undisclosed), Kevan Miller: out (upper body), John Moore: day to day (upper body). Hurricanes Injuries: Trevor van Riemsdyk: out for season (upper body), Saku Maenalanen: out (upper body), Micheal Ferland: day to day (upper body), Petr Mrazek: day to day (lower body). (Info from the Associated Press was used in this post.)<doc-sep>BOSTON — The Boston Bruins are taking a two-game lead in the Eastern Conference Final to North Carolina. Boston routed the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday 6-2 in Game 2 at TD Garden and now have a chance to win the series on the road. While it will be no easy task to sweep the team that put away the Washington Capitals and swept the New York Islanders, the Bruins know their focus needs to remain on the Hurricanes and not get caught up in having the advantage heading into Game 3. “Like I said, we’re onto the next,” defenseman Charlie McAvoy said after the game. “We can take away positives and learn from tonight, you know, clear up a couple things. We’re going down to their building, we know that they play well there, so we just really have to enjoy right now and as soon as we leave the rink it’s on to Game 3. You know, refocusing, resetting and getting ready to play in a hostile environment and we just plan to play to our standards and our culture.” Puck is drop for Game 3 on Tuesday is 8 p.m. ET, and we can bet Carolina will do all it can to not go down 3-0 in the series. Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>The Boston Bruins open the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at home. But defenseman Charlie McAvoy won't be participating in Game 1, having been suspended for one playoff game by the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for an illegal check to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson. It's the first time McAvoy, 21, has been fined or suspended in his two-year NHL career. In the second period of Game 6 on Monday night, Anderson and Zdeno Chara of the Bruins raced after a loose puck. Anderson gained control and attempted to move deeper into the attacking zone. McAvoy skated over and checked Anderson, making contact with his body but mostly with his head. Anderson fell to the ice and went to the trainers room with 23 seconds remaining in the period. He later returned to the game and even had a conversation with McAvoy in the handshake line after the Bruins eliminated the Blue Jackets with a 3-0 win. Despite the impact of the hit, McAvoy was given only a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head by the on-ice officials. Since there is no provision for a major penalty on that call, the refs had to decide whether to give him two minutes or a match penalty, which carries an ejection. But that latter call is made only in cases where the officials feel there was a deliberate intent to injure another player. McAvoy said there wasn't any intent on his part. "I put my shoulder into him," he said. "It was a hockey play. I tried to deliver a check. I was penalized two minutes for it." The Department of Player Safety said it accepted McAvoy's argument that there was no malicious intent on the hit but that his approach in making the hit showed poor decision-making -- that a hit delivered through the core of Anderson's body was possible but McAvoy instead went too high and made contact with the Blue Jackets forward's head. "It's important to note that while Anderson's body and front shoulder do absorb some contact on this check, the main point of contact was the head," the department said in a video explaining the one-game suspension. McAvoy played 54 games for the Bruins in the regular season, scoring seven goals, making 21 assists and skating 22:10 per game. Through 13 playoff games, he has a goal and five assists and is averaging 24:46 of ice time.<doc-sep>
The Boston Bruins look to close out a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday in the Eastern Conference Final and be the first team to book its ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. The puck will drop at PNC Arena for Game 4 shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern. Odds provided by Bet365; for a full-set of today’s sports betting odds, access them at USA TODAY Sports. Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes: By the Numbers Game 3 was the first of the series to play to the UNDER. It was also the first game in which Carolina was able to stay within a goal, but the Bruins pulled off the upset after closing as +104 underdogs. The Bruins are going for a seventh consecutive win, something they accomplished just once in the regular season. Carolina hasn’t lost four straight games since Oct. 28 – Nov. 6, marking their longest losing skid of the season. Carolina’s outshot Boston in two of the three games. The Hurricanes hold a 111-108 advantage in total shot attempts. Boston has scored five power-play goals to the Hurricanes’ one with both teams having 28 penalty minutes. Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes: Projected Goalie Starters Tuukka Rask vs. Curtis McElhinney Rask’s 36 shots against and 35 saves in Game 3 were both highs for the series. His .972 save percentage was his highest since his shutout against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 6 of Round 2. McElhinney can be expected to receive a second straight start after stopping 29 of 31 shots on goal in place of Petr Mrazek Tuesday. The 35-year-old has a .943 save percentage this postseason. Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes: Key Injuries Bruins C Chris Wagner has been declared out for Game 4 as he’s gone back to Boston for further testing on an arm injury. Hurricanes LW Jordan Martinook was a late scratch Tuesday and replaced in the lineup by Saku Maenalanen. Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes: NHL Best Bet Moneyline: The Hurricanes put the breaks on the Bruins’ offense in Game 3 and made it a much closer game after being dominated in each of the first two in Boston. Look for Carolina to force a Game 5 and win what’s likely its final home game of the season with +105 odds. Against the spread: The outright is a much better play than the -270 for Carolina to cover +1.5 as it did Tuesday. Over/under: The Hurricanes’ best chance for the win is to follow the stingy defensive model they executed in Game 3. McElhinney was fully up to the test in net. Take the UNDER on 5.5 (-125). Follow Esten on Twitter @EstenMcLaren