NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Canucks vs Hurricanes (Tuesday, February 6)
(Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images). Pictured: J.T. Miller (left) and Brock Boeser (right).
Canucks vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Canucks Odds | -150 |
| Hurricanes Odds | +125 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -102o / -120u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Vancouver Canucks vs. Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Feb. 6 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
What a bender the Canucks have been on, eh? To end the first half of the season, Vancouver went a daunting 8-0-2. Not to mention, it’ll be the first game with Elias Lindholm wearing blue and green after the former 40-goal scorer was traded to the Canucks during the break.
Similarly, Carolina’s been red hot. It headed into the break with a three-game winning streak and went 7-2-1 in its last 10 games. The Hurricanes are in the mix for supremacy in the Metropolitan Division, standing four points behind the Rangers.
Let's get to our Canucks vs. Hurricanes preview and prediction.
I mentioned the acquisition of Lindholm, which already adds to a stacked core. Vancouver has one of the deadliest foursomes in the NHL — if not the deadliest. J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser all average over a point per game, with Boeser standing as a top-10 goal scorer in the league.
Regardless of that stacked roster, Vancouver is pretty middle-of-the-road at 5-on-5 offensive play. The Canucks are ranked 15th in expected goals with a 51.38 xGF%, but defensively are ranked 10th with a 2.49 xGA/60.
To pick up the 5-on-5 slack, the power play is exceptional, scoring at a 25% clip. The penalty kill is decent, at 80%, but has let up a power-play goal in its last two games.
Thatcher Demko is playing like one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. Winning 10 out of his last 11 starts, Demko is posting sensational numbers with a .920 SV% and a second-best 18 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
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Carolina has such a strong forward group, led by Sebastian Aho, who’s averaging over a point per game. Along with Aho, Seth Jarvis has solidified himself as a strong top-six forward, especially on the power play.
Martin Nečas and Michael Bunting can also put the puck in the net. Nečas had a career year last year, but slowed down a bit this season. However, he’s still a major threat and can break out at any moment.
The Hurricanes play some of the soundest 5-on-5 play there is. They’re in the top five with both a 55.05 xGF% and a 2.35 xGA/60. Along with its top-tiered even strength play, Carolina holds the second-best power play, scoring 28% of the time. Not only that, but it has the fourth-best penalty kill at 84%.
One of the few pain points for the Hurricanes has been goaltending. Frederik Andersen was recently cleared for on-ice conditioning, but will not start Tuesday. We’ll probably see Pyotr Kochetkov, and the young Russian has played fine but nowhere near perfect. Kochetkov has played to a .900 SV% and a -4.6 GSAx.
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Canucks vs. Hurricanes
Betting Pick & Prediction
This is a battle between two power houses and the perfect segue into the second half of the season.
Carolina is dominant at home with a 15-5-4 record, while the Canucks are strong on the road at 15-7-3. The way both of these teams really encourage me leads me to believe this will be more of a chess match than a shootout. The Canucks historically get into high-scoring battles, but the Hurricanes have the potential to slow down the game.
Bet365 has the Under 6.5 at -120, and it’s hard to argue against it. I think Carolina’s defensive presence will hold back the Canucks to an extent. Along with that, we may not see the Vancouver power play a whole lot since Carolina is one of the more disciplined teams in the league.
I can totally see this game going under the total.
Pick: Under 6.5 (-120)
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