NHL Odds, Expert Pick & Prediction: Hurricanes vs. Penguins (November 29)
Justin K. Aller/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Rickard Rakell celebrated with the Penguins bench.
- The Penguins are short favorites at home tonight against the Hurricanes.
- Pittsburgh has been red-hot behind the throwback play from superstar Sidney Crosby.
- Continue reading for a full breakdown of this matchup, including a betting pick.
Hurricanes vs. Penguins Odds
| Hurricanes Odds | -106 |
| Penguins Odds | -113 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ATTSN-PT |
The Carolina Hurricanes have not been playing like the team that we have gotten used to seeing over the past few seasons. They have only won one of their last six games, but to be fair, four of those losses all came in overtime.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been getting back on track as of late, winning five of their last six games thanks to the play of their captain, Sidney Crosby, who is turning back the clock this season.
The Penguins didn't play their best in their most recent game, losing by the score of 4-1 at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, so we should see a strong start from them as they are looking for a bounce-back win.
Hurricanes Need Offense
The Carolina Hurricanes are a very interesting squad this season. For starters, they are missing their number one goalie, Frederik Andersen, due to injury, so Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov have been splitting time in the blue paint.
Raanta played in their recent game, earning a 3-2 win in what wasn't a huge test for him as he only faced 20 shots. He should be getting the start again tonight.
Raanta enters this game with a record of 4-2-2 while skating to a .901 save percentage and 2.47 goals against average. It appears that Raanta will get the start in this game, but there is a chance that head coach Rod Brind'Amour goes with Kochetkov who has actually put up better numbers than Raanta, despite the worse record. Kochetkov is skating to a 2-1-3 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.33 goals against average.
Defense isn't the issue for the Hurricanes right now. Last season, they were one of the best teams in the league at generating offense and this season they are having their fair share of issues when it comes to scoring goals.
They enter this game ranked 28th, scoring just 2.68 goals per game and they have only tallied five goals in their last three contests. They aren't necessarily a scary offensive team.
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Penguins Enjoying Vintage Crosby
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing much better hockey in the month of November as they come into this game with a record of 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
Crosby has been absolutely incredible this season, currently eighth in the league in points with 29, but he also happens to be tied for the lead league in even strength points with 24.
Pittsburgh has a ton of offensive weapons on their roster aside from Crosby. Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel are also having strong seasons, which is helping the Penguins average 3.45 goals per game and the fourth most 12.20 scoring chances each contest.
Tristan Jarry should be getting the start in goal and he has been absolutely fantastic in his last four starts, going 4-0-0 and only allowing six goals against in those four games combined. He is having a very strong season, boasting a record of 8-3-2 to go with his .914 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average.
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Hurricanes vs. Penguins Pick
The Hurricanes have gone three straight games without scoring a goal at even strength which gives the Penguins a massive advantage in this battle.
Pittsburgh is one of the best teams in the NHL at even-strength play, with the fourth most expected goals per 60 (3.28) which they are actually outperforming since they are averaging 3.36 goals per game at even-strength.
Jarry has been better than both Raanta and Kochetkov in between the pipes and on top of that, the Hurricanes' offense is very unreliable. The Penguins have been the much better team as of late and there isn't too much juice on them to win this game straight up.
The Hurricanes' 5-on-5 struggles are way too concerning for me to back them. I like the Pens to win this one at home.
Pick: Penguins Moneyline -115 or better |
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