Sunday NHL Odds, Picks, Prediction: Phoenix Coyotes vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Oct. 31)

Coyotes vs. Hurricanes Odds

A perfect month is at stake for the Hurricanes, and the Coyotes are trying to avoid a winless October on the road Sunday.

Carolina is off to the best start in franchise history, 7-0-0, while the Coyotes have scored just one goal in the past 127:29. The Hurricanes are in a three-game stretch where they play the Blackhawks twice and the Coyotes before hitting the road for highly entertaining road games against Florida and Tampa Bay.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes will close their four-game homestand Sunday. They've outscored the Maple Leafs, Bruins and Blackhawks a combined 13-4. The Hurricanes lead the league in goals against and goal differential and have the fifth-best power play percentage in the NHL (29.2%).

As strong as the Canes have been on the man-advantage, their underlying metrics at 5-on-5 are not as impressive. Through their first seven games the Hurricanes have skated to a 51.4% expected goals rate, which is 11th-best in the NHL. That is still a solid mark, but does suggest that some regression at 5-on-5 is coming, as their +2.46 goal differential per 60 minutes is quite a bit higher than their +0.15 xGD per 60 minutes. Whether that regression comes against the Coyotes is a whole other story, though.

Goalie Frederik Andersen, who signed a two-year, $9 million contract in the offseason and will likely start for Carolina, is second in the NHL in goals-saved above average (6.13) and save percentage (.956).

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes are mired in an eight-game, season-opening losing streak and are trying to pick up a win in the fourth game of their six-game road trip. Arizona has the worst goal differential in the sport, having been outscored 36-12 thus far,

Arizona has the second-worst expected goals percentage (44.5 percent) at all strengths, but its 5-on-5 numbers are just below average. That may not sound like something to be excited about, but it's definitely better than expected. Unfortunately, any good work the Desert Dogs do at 5-on-5 gets undone pretty quickly by the worst penalty kill in the league. Arizona has allowed 11 power-play goals in just 24 PK opportunities (54.2 percent).

Coyotes vs. Hurricanes Pick

The Hurricanes are 10-0-1 in their past 11 home regular-season games dating back to last season and have won each of their first four home games by three goals. Carolina hasn't been to overtime yet and have only played one one-goal game this season, a 3-2 victory in Nashville on October 16.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes have only played one-goal game all season, their 2-1 shootout loss in Buffalo on October 16. This pick doesn't seem too difficult.

Pick: Carolina -1.5 (-130)