Carolina Hurricanes @ Pittsburgh Penguins Game 2 - On Cam Ward's Shoulders

It was crystal clear coming into the Eastern Conference final NHL wagering trends indicating they're more than capable of equalizing the series at one each on Thursday, starting at 7:30pm EST on Versus, before heading home for Game 3 on Saturday (7:30pm EST).

• Hurricanes are 4-1 in their last 5 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
• Hurricanes are 6-1 in their last 7 games playing on 2 days rest.
  
  

During Game 1, Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and Cam Ward of Carolina made countless key saves, but depth made the difference for the Pens. Online NHL betting total players should note: Only three of Carolina's 15 postseason games have played 'over' thanks to stout play by Ward between the pipes.

And, when betting NHL online, as the two-month postseason grind wears on and deeper the series goes 'under' wagers become stronger and make for solid selections. When these two east powers collide, that claim is etched in stone with the 'under' cashing in the last consecutive four games played in the Steel City and going 5-1-1 in the last seven overall.

• Under is 4-1-1 in Hurricanes last 6 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
• Under is 31-14-4 in Hurricanes last 49 games playing on 2 days rest.
• Under is 4-0-1 in Hurricanes last 5 road games.
• Under is 10-3-1 in Hurricanes last 14 Eastern Conference Final games.
  
  

Carolina has now lost the opener in all three playoff series. So being down one to start a best-of-seven stint is nothing new to them, and they've shown in both previous postseason rounds it's a very erasable deficit. The Hurricanes keeping Pens' star Sidney Crosby off the board in Game 1 is a moral victory. Also, if you bet on NHL and support Carolina, you have to feel good about them being 12-5 in their last 17 games against clubs from the Atlantic Division.

The home team is 10-2 in the last 12 meetings between these two, so if Carolina could steal Game 2 in Pittsburgh, that trend's pendulum and home ice advantage swings toward the Hurricanes. A Carolina win on Thursday would be monumental for them. But to even the series before returning home, the Hurricanes will have to do so as the +165. The Pens are listed -200 with a game total of 5½ under -120. Pittsburgh has an 8-3 edge in its last eleven playoff games as a favorite of -151 to -200, but their three defeats prove they're beatable as pricey sports betting chalk.

The keys for a Carolina victory in the second meeting are relatively straight forward. First, they must find a way to get Eric Staal scoring opportunities. He's one of the NHL's best finishers and when given the chance, he rarely fails to execute with speed to burn. The Hurricanes are 7-0 in these playoffs when he scores. Staal scored three of Carolina’s six power-play goals in these playoffs and is the franchises career postseason scoring leader with 41 points.

Owning a one-game deficit to start a series is familiar territory for Carolina, so don't expect a Game 2 hangover or Hurricanes' Ward to mind net with his head down. Among the conference's final four, he's been the best and it's imperative for him to showcase why he's the winningest playoff net keeper with 23 victories. In the opening round, Ward stopped 227 shots by the Devils, breaking Frank Pietrangelo’s 17-year-old franchise record of 225 saves in a single series.