In their first of three head-to-head meetings this season, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Detroit Red Wings take the ice at Little Caesars Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. The action will get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, October 22, and it is being shown live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings Odds
Carolina (+125) is entering this one as the underdog to Carolina (-145), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Carolina is 4-4 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked third in the Metropolitan Division so far in this young season, is right in line with the 36-46 record the team posted during the 2017-18 season campaign. Five of its matches have gone under the total, while three have gone over. This 2018-19 Hurricanes team is 2-2 SU on the road.
The Hurricanes have scored on 6.7 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That’s a noticeable drop-off from last season, when they were ranked 22nd in the league by scoring on 18.3 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has fallen off noticeably, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 77.5 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 24th overall last season) to 65.4 percent this year.
The Canes, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.0 times per game in the 2018-19 season. Last year, that number was the lowest mark in the league at 2.7 penalties per game. After serving an average of 6.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for 8.4 minutes per outing this season.
With a .892 save percentage and 22.8 saves per game, Curtis McElhinney (3-1) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina this year. If Carolina decides to rest him, however, the team might go with Petr Mrazek (1-3-1 record, .874 save percentage, 3.07 goals against average).
Sebastian Aho and Micheal Ferland will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Hurricanes. Aho has 13 points on four goals and nine assists this season; Ferland has five goals and three assists to his name through the early stages of the regular season.
On the other side of the rink, Detroit is 1-7 straight up (SU) and has already lost 5.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Five of its games have gone over the total, while three have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 0-2 SU as the home team this season.
The Red Wings have killed off a remarkable 84.8 percent of all penalties, a few points up from the 77.6 percent they recorded a year ago (when they were ranked 23rd in the NHL). They’ve found the net on 28.0 percent of their power plays this year after converting on 17.5 percent (ranked 23rd in league) last season.
Red Wings players have been called for penalties 5.5 times per game this season, a number that’s risen noticeably from the 3.7 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 9.0 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for a noteworthy 13.6 minutes per matchup this season.
Jimmy Howard (28.0 saves per game) has been the top choice in goal for the Red Wings. Howard has one win, five losses, and two OT losses and has registered a pedestrian 3.43 goals against average and a fairly-weak .898 save percentage this year.
Gustav Nyquist (one goal, six assists) and Dylan Larkin (four goals, three assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Red Wings.
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings Betting Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
Detroit has yet to win a game by two or more goals this season.
Carolina has averaged 3.3 goals per game this season, but is averaging 1.3 goals per matchup over its last three games (0-3 SU over that span).
The Hurricanes are 2-0 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Red Wings are 1-4 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
After winning five of their six shootouts last year, the Red Wings are off to a 0-1 start in shootouts this season. Carolina went 3-3 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
The over has hit in four of Detroit’s last five games.
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