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The Bruins and Hurricanes enter their Eastern Conference semifinal coming off completely different opening round wins.
On one hand, Boston absolutely dominated a hapless Canadiens squad with a clean four-game sweep. On the other hand, Carolina had to go seven games with the Devils, including a nail-biter in the deciding game that saw the Hurricanes tie it, and win it, in the final two minutes of regulation.
| Boston Bruins |
Carolina Hurricanes |
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Deep and talented, the Bruins had 8 different forwards record at least 10 goals this season, including six 20-goal scorers. Michael Ryder led the Bruins in scoring in their four-game sweep of the Canadiens.
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Forwards | Eric Staal leads the way for Carolina, as he's coming off the second 40-goal campaign of his career. Veteran Ray Whitney is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, leading the team with 77 points. |
| Advantage: Boston. It's impossible not to love what Staal brings to the table for Carolina, but Boston is just too deep up front. |
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Zdeno Chara gets all of the press -- and for good reason -- but, from an offensive standpoint, did you know Dennis Wideman actually averaged more points per game and minute this season? It's true. |
Defense |
Carolina's defense doesn't have a lot of star power, but that doesn't mean it lacks talent. Joni Pitkanen is a former top-five pick while Joe Corvo quarterbacked the power play leading all Hurricanes defensemen with 38 points. Anton Babchuk also patrols the blue line, possessing one of the hardest shots in the league. |
| Advantage: Boston. The Bruins gave up the fewest goals during the regular season and are dangerous offensively from the blue line thanks to the abilities Chara and Wideman. |
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Tim Thomas is not only out of his mind on the ice (just ask Sean Avery), he's also a fantastic goalie, nominated for the Vezina Trophy as one of the league's top netminders. Part of a goaltending duo that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season, Thomas surrendered just six in the opening round. |
Goalies |
Cam Ward already has a Stanley Cup ring and a Conn Smythe Trophy in his possession, and he might be playing the best hockey of his career heading into the conference semifinals. |
| Advantage: Push. Tough call as both goalies are playing strong hockey. Thomas might be the better goalie at this point, but Ward has proven he can carry a team through the playoffs to a championship. |
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Boston's power play dominated Montreal at a 25 percent clip, while it was the only team to not allow a power play goal in the conference quarterfinals. |
Special Teams |
Bad news: Carolina was a dismal 2-for-29 against New Jersey in the opening round on the power play. Good news: It was 24-for-27 on shorthanded situations. |
| Advantage: Boston. Any power play unit that can send out Marc Savard, Chara and Wideman, among others, is going to get the edge. |
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Claude Julien has done a masterful job during his two-year stint in Boston, and is looking to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his coaching career. |
Coaching |
Paul Maurice is in his second stint with Carolina, taking over early in the season for Peter Laviolette who was fired after the team's 12-11-2 start. Since then the team has gone on a 33-19-5 run.
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| Advantage: Carolina. No disrespect to the job that Julien has done in Boston -- and it's been a great job -- but Maurice took over a team that was going nowhere earlier in the season and guided it to the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NHL. |
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The Bruins come in as the top seed in the East with home-ice advantage the remainder of the postseason (assuming they keep winning). They also haven't played a game well over a week. Will the long break hurt? |
Intangibles |
The Hurricanes closed out the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the league, and were playing for their playoff lives for much of March and April. While Boston has had an extended break, Carolina is coming off a tough seven-game series with New Jersey. |
| Advantage: Carolina. Sometimes it's not about being the best team ... it's about being the hottest team. It's only a small margin at this point, but over the past two months Carolina has been playing slightly better hockey, while playing a playoff game almost every night through March and April. Small edge for the 'Canes. |
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| Final Prediction: 5 of our writers picked the Bruins, while 1 picked the Hurricanes. |
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