NHL Odds, Expert Picks, Prediction: Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes (October 12)
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images. Pictured: Teuvo Teravainen #86 of the Carolina Hurricanes.
- The Blue Jackets and Hurricanes will face off to open the season Wednesday.
- The Blue Jackets have the hype behind them, but the Canes are home favorites entering the matchup.
- Tony Sartori explains why he's targeting a prop in today's tilt.
Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Blue Jackets Odds | +220 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -275 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-115/-105) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
With the 2022-23 NHL season finally underway, we have an exciting Metro Division tilt between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes. Last season, Carolina won three of the four meetings between these two teams.
Will the Canes take care of business once again, or can the Blue Jackets pull off the upset as a large road underdog?
Blue Jackets Defense Still Lacking
Columbus has been involved in a ton of off-season hype because of its acquisition of superstar forward Johnny Gaudreau. However, while the offense got better, they did nothing to address this team's blue line problems.
While they did add defenseman Erik Gudbranson, he is very offensive-minded and does not change the game much in the back end. At 5v5, the Blue Jackets ranked just 31st in the league in goals against (GA) and 32nd in xGA last season.
Between the forwards and the defensemen, this club features a ton of offensive-minded players who shine in only one-third of the ice. Since Brad Larsen took over behind the bench, this team turned into an offensively minded group while dismissing the back end, which is evident by their passive style when opposing teams have the puck.
This playstyle led to the overs being one of the best bets for Columbus games last season (48-29). They give up a ton of shots because of their poor defensive structure and passiveness in that zone, particularly against Carolina.
Across their four games against the Hurricanes last season, the Blue Jackets surrendered an average of 40.8 shots on goal per game.
Hurricanes' Pace Should Lead to Good Offense
Across the ice, we have one of the best offensive teams from last season playing on home ice. At 5v5, Carolina ranked fifth in the league in goals for (GF) and second in xGF last year.
This offense is spearheaded by the Teravainen-Aho-Jarvis line, which is developing into one of the strongest lines in the Eastern Conference. Under coach Rod Brind-Amour, this organization has adopted a "quantity leads to quality" philosophy when It comes to offense.
Upon entering the offensive zone, this team fires early and often, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the dots. Obviously, this philosophy has led to players' shot props going over the total quite frequently.
Additionally, the Canes are one of the most aggressive forechecking teams in hockey, trying to force teams to turn the puck back over and create a quick high-danger scoring chance.
Carolina is an extremely high-tempo team, whether they are in the zone, on the forecheck, or on the rush, which is great for shot props (especially against a defensively passive team like Columbus).
Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes Pick
As I mentioned early, the Canes averaged 40.8 shots on goal across their four games against Columbus last season. We are going to target a specific player who should aid in keeping this trend going: Teuvo Teravainen.
Over those four games, Teravainen has recorded at least four shots on goal three times. Serving as a winger to one of the better playmakers in the Eastern Conference, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo should get plenty of chances to get over his shot prop.
Additionally, he also serves as one of the triggermen on Carolina's first power play unit.
Pick: Teuvo Teravainen Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+106) | Play up to (-120)
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