Two clubs that are squaring off for the fourth and final time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes meet at PNC Arena for a Metropolitan Division tilt. This one will get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 23 and it will be broadcasted live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes Odds
Pittsburgh (+100) is currently the underdog to Pittsburgh (-120) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
Pittsburgh is 35-26 straight up (SU) and has earned 1.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 61 regular season outings, 32 of its games have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Pens are 12-18 SU as the road team in 2017-18.
Pittsburgh enters the match up with the first-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 26.5 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year. Additionally, it has the seventh-strongest penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 82.4 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Pens have been sent to the penalty box 4.1 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over its past five match ups. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 26.0 saves per game with a .908 save percentage, Matt Murray (24-15-2) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If it decides to give him a rest, however, Pittsburgh might turn to Tristan Jarry (11-8-2), who has a .921 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average this year.
Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Penguins. Malkin (70 points) has tallied 33 goals and 37 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 17 different games. Kessel has 24 goals and 42 assists to his nameand has notched a point in 42 games.
Carolina is 27-33 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 33 of its matches have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just two have pushed. The team is 15-16 SU at home this season.
The Hurricanes have converted on just 18.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.7 percent of all penalties.
Hurricanes players have been sent to the penalty box only 2.8 times per game in total this season, 2.6 per game over their past five outings total, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Ward (25.3 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Hurricanes. Ward has 17 wins, 14 losses, and four overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a 2.59 goals against average and a .911 save percentage this year.
The Canes offense will be led by Teuvo Teravainen (14 goals, 32 assists) and Sebastian Aho (21 goals, 25 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Hurricanes, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Carolina is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 2-2 in shootouts.
The total has gone under in three of Carolina’s last five games.
This game features two teams that take a lot of shots on goal. Pittsburgh has attempted the league’s sixth-most shots on goal (34.1) and Carolina has attempted the fourth-most (34.4). The Pens have averaged 26.2 shot attempts over their last five road games while the Canes have taken 39.2 shots over their last five home outings.
Carolina has averaged 2.7 goals per game overall this year, but is averaging 1.3 goals per matchup over its three-game losing skid.
Eight of Pittsburgh’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 7-1 in those games.
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the fifth-most hits in the league (24.4 per game), but that number’s down to just 21.2 hits over their last five away games.
