Welcome to the latest edition of NHL Predictions. Every day, the Last Word on Hockey team digs into upcoming games to provide analysis on the matchups and take a look at what elements can change the game. Today, we will be looking at a cross-conference matchup. The Colorado Avalanche welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Denver, Colorado. Be sure to check in with more NHL Predictions as the season moves on.
NHL Predictions
Carolina Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche
Time: 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: FDSNSO; ALT; ESPN+
After spending some time at home, the Carolina Hurricanes will again hit the road to travel west again. Following a 5-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, the Hurricanes will look to get a big win in the Mile High City. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche enter this one with a record of 6-8-0 following a 1-0 loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Colorado will be at home, but Carolina is riding a wave of confidence right now.
The Hurricanes Story
The Hurricanes have largely found success early this season playing a complete team game. With everyone seemingly buying into the system, they have put together some impressive wins marked by everyone contributing one way or another on the ice. As is typical for the Hurricanes under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, they continue to sit at the top of the league when it comes to most advanced analytics 5v5. Ironically, their last game against the Penguins was not the best in that regard but they found a way to get the win. They also sit top five in the league in both goals-for per game and goals-against per game. Their special teams have been pretty good as well, but definitely have some room to improve.
But even though their team game has been their strength, there are a few players standing out at the moment. Martin Necas has been on fire to start the season. He has 21 points for the team lead. It’s no secret that he is a big reason for the Hurricanes offensive success. But a little more surprisingly, Jack Roslovic has found a scoring touch as well with a team leading nine goals. In net, with Frederik Andersen still out with injury, the Hurricanes will likely turn to Pyotr Kochetkov yet again. He has been solid when needed and has a 2.51 GAA and a .896 SV% with a 7-1 record.
The Avalanche Story
The Avalanche have had a little more of a rocky start than the Hurricanes this season, but have settled in some as of late. After four straight losses to start the season, they strung together a run of wins, followed by another run of losses and then more of a mixed bag. Injuries have significantly plagued this team and that cannot be overlooked. The Avalanche have been decent at scoring goals, and are near the top of the league in power play production. But keeping the puck out of the net has been a different story. They rank near the bottom of the league in penalty kill and goals-against per game. A big part of this has been the struggles of Alexandar Georgiev in net. He has a .847 SV% and a 4.05 GAA. Justus Annunen, has better numbers with a .894 SV% and 2.64 GAA. With that said, Georgiev put up a good showing against Winnipeg on Thursday, so don’t be surprised to see them turn to him again here.
When it comes to individual storylines for Colorado, the stars are performing like the stars. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen lead the team in points with 25, 23, and 17, respectively. They have been big pieces keeping the team in games. Makar had an injury scare but should be ready to go in this one after playing against the Jets.
Prediction
This matchup has all the potential to be a heavyweight tilt. Can Carolina’s system keep producing the results they want on the scoresheet here? Will Carolina’s strong defensive game shutout the electricity of MacKinnon and Makar? Can the Avalanche find consistency in net? This game should be a close back and forth affair with a lot of speed. If Carolina can’t convert enough at 5v5, Colorado’s strong power play could turn to be the difference here. Otherwise, Carolina might be able to control the play in their favour.
Prediction: Carolina wins 3-2 in overtime
Prop Bets of the Night
Looking at bets for the night at FanDuel, I would take a look at the under 1.5 spread with +186 odds. For anytime goal scorers, MacKinnon is a safe bet at +115 odds. To get a better return I’d still look at the hot hand of Roslovic with +340 odds for Carolina.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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