The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes meet Thursday in NHL action from the PNC Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this one looking to bounce back from a 4-3 shootout loss at the hands of the New York Islanders last time out. After this game, Pittsburgh will head on the road for a date with the Washington Capitals.
Penguins Looking To String Results Together
Evgeni Malkin has a team-high 16 points with 4 goals and a team-high 12 assists while Sidney Crosby has 15 points with a team-high 6 goals and 9 assists. Rickard Rakell has 11 points with 6 goals and 5 assists and Erik Karlsson has 8 points with a goal and 7 assists. Lars Eller and Matt Grzelcyk each have 7 points with Eller logging 4 goals and 3 assists and Grzelcyk has 7 assists. Marcus Pettersson and Jesse Puljujarvi have 6 points apiece with 5 assists. In goal for the Penguins, Joel Blomqvist has gone 2-4 with a 3.46 GAA and a .909 save percentage while Tristan Jarry has gone 1-1 with a 5.47 GAA and an .836 save percentage this season. Alex Nedeljkovic is also 2-2-2 with a 2.76 GAA and a .900 save percentage on the year.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Penguins have won six of their last eight games as underdogs following a shootout loss.
- The Hurricanes have lost three of their last four Thursday games as home favorites.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in 10 of their last 11 games against the Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
Carolina Hurricanes Recap
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this one looking to build on their seven-game win streak after a 6-4 win over Philadelphia last time out. After this game, Carolina will head on the road for a date with the Colorado Avalanche.
Hurricanes On A Roll
Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes with 20 points including team-highs of 7 goals and 13 assists while Andrei Svechnikov has 12 points with 5 goals and 7 assists. Sebastian Aho has 10 points with 3 goals and 7 assists. Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis each have 9 points with 4 goals and 5 assists while Jesperi Kotkaniemi has 8 points with 7 assists. Jack Roslovic has 7 goals and Dmitry Orlov has 7 points with 3 goals and 4 assists. Pyotr Kochetkov has gone 6-1 with a 2.72 GAA and an .878 save percentage in goal for Carolina so far this year while Frederik Andersen is 3-1 with a 1.48 GAA and a .941 save percentage on the year.
Why the Carolina Hurricanes will win
- The Hurricanes have won each of their last nine night games following a home win.
- The Penguins have lost each of their last six games at Lenovo Center.
- The Hurricanes have covered the puck line in each of their last five games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five games after coming off overtime.
Penguins vs. Hurricanes Prediction
I’m on the Hurricanes -1.5 here. The ‘Canes are just the better team playing better hockey right now, and I’m just not in a spot where I want to be backing the Penguins who continue to be inconsistent. Carolina’s on a run where it’s one of those streaks where you ride them until the tickets stop paying. Give me Carolina -1.5 here.