The Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins face-off in what may be a Stanley Cup Playoff preview. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here with Last Word On Hockey. Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for games around the NHL. In tonight’s matchup, the Penguins and Hurricanes test their mettle a couple months before a potential meeting.
NHL Predictions featuring the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins Story
Pittsburgh comes into this game off a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins in overtime. With the victory, the Penguins are 4-3-3 in their last 10 with an overall record of 32-17-14 on the season. Picking up three out of a possible four points over the weekend, along with opportune losses from divisional opponents like the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets, has the Penguins right back in the second-place spot in the Metropolitan Division. Sitting in a good spot right now, the Penguins need to continue accumulating points, especially with the continued absence of captain Sidney Crosby and then the suspended Evgeni Malkin.
The secondary scoring filled in for the aforementioned absences on Sunday night. After going down 3-0, recent acquisition Egor Chinakhov scored a massive goal to get the Penguins on the board in the second. Following this, the Penguins’ second-leading goal scorer, Anthony Mantha, would tie up the game twice, once at 3-3, and again at 4-4. Chinakhov and Mantha have been the two most integral forwards recently. Mantha is up to 23 goals and 47 points in 63 games, while Chinakhov has 11 goals and 17 points in 25 games since being traded from Columbus. On defence, it’s been the Erik Karlsson show. Karlsson registered two assists against Boston while making a pivotal play on the overtime game-winner. Now up to eight goals and 42 points through 58 games, Karlsson has stepped up in a huge way, consistently generating offence from the blueline.
With Arturs Silovs getting the win against the Bruins, expect Stuart Skinner to start against Carolina. He is 8-5-3 with an .889 save percentage in a Penguins uniform this season. However, now is a good time to remind you that it’s always a good idea to confirm lineups prior to locking in any bets.
Hurricanes Story
Carolina comes into this game following a 5-4 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. With the loss, the Hurricanes are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. With an overall record of 40-17-6 on the season, Carolina sits at the top of the Metropolitan Division. It has been a characteristically good season for the Hurricanes, who were expected to be one of the top teams in the East coming into the season. For the Hurricanes, where it really matters is the playoffs, with the expectation being to qualify for the Stanley Cup Finals. In pursuit of that goal, this game against the Penguins is a good measuring stick. Depending on how things shake out, this could be a playoff preview for the second round in just a couple of months.
Finnish Olympian Sebastian Aho leads Carolina in scoring. He has 23 goals and 65 points through 63 games this season. Behind him in team production is the often-injured Andrei Svechnikov. Svechnikov has produced 23 goals and 55 points. Having him healthy for as long as the Carolina Hurricanes have this season has been a big factor in their success at the top of the standings. Off-season free agent acquisition Nikolaj Ehlers has fit in well with Carolina. He has 20 goals and 50 points in 63 games. The Hurricanes have found ways to get production from their blue line as well. Shayne Gostisbehere leads the defence in scoring with 11 goals and 43 points in just 45 games.
In net, expect upstart Brandon Bussi to get the start. Bussi has been a fantastic story this season. Bussi has gone 25-4-1 with an .899 save percentage in his first NHL season. The Penguins will need to find a way to beat the rookie goalie while missing crucial offensive weapons.
Prediction
The Penguins are missing firepower, and while Mantha and Chinakhov were able to produce, Pittsburgh won by the skin of their teeth. Against a structured Hurricanes squad looking to work out kinks before the playoffs, expect a different result.
NHL Prediction: Hurricanes win 3-1
Prop Bet of the Night
Apart from the offensive explosion on Sunday, Pittsburgh has struggled to produce without Crosby and Malkin. Carolina, meanwhile, has no qualms with playing a low-scoring game. A popular prop bet of goals under 5 with odds of +260 is a good one.
Main Photo: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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