It’s another round of NHL Predictions as we take a look at a Metropolitan Division matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins. This is the third time these Division rivals have matched up this season. The Hurricanes took game one 5-2 in Raleigh while the Penguins won game two 2-1 in a shootout in Pittsburgh. This is a big matchup for two teams looking to keep climbing in the Division and the playoff race.
Pittsburgh comes into this one after losing in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks Wednesday night. While the Penguins lost that one, Sidney Crosby continues to show that even at age 36 he is an elite player. He scored two in that one to reach 24 goals this season.
On the other side, Carolina picked up a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks following four days off. It was a good win considering that you never really know how a team will play after time off and the fact that the Hurricanes have historically struggled against the Ducks. It was a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde game for Carolina though as the first period was almost as dominant as you could as for. Only to be followed by them playing arguably one of their worst periods of the year in the second. They pulled it together and settled in for the win but not without a bump. In the second period, Pyotr Kochetkov collided with Isac Lundestrom and had to be helped off the ice with what looked like an injury to the head. The Hurricanes will have to dig deep for this one and here are three keys to a Carolina victory.
NHL Predictions: Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Three Keys to Victory for Carolina
Watch the Big Three…or Four…or More
Even with Pittsburgh being more of a bubble team the last few years, there is no doubt that they still have star power. And they have added to it this year as well. As mentioned above, Crosby is still a wizard on the ice making plays and putting the puck in the net. Then you go down and look at Evgeni Malkin who is still producing at a solid rate with 15 goals and 20 assists. And for another star up front, there is Jake Guentzel. The highly skilled forward is leading the team in points with 45 and is an offensive threat anytime he is on the ice.
As far as producing from the back end, both Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson are deadly. They have 27 and 29 points respectively with Karlsson having seven goals this year. And we all know what Karlsson is capable of after his monstrous season last year. Carolina will have to absolutely watch all five of these players anytime they are on the ice. Of course, they can’t sleep on others in favour of focusing on these, but these players all have star power and Carolina defensively needs to be aware when they are on the ice every time. Having last change at home should help some with Carolina matching up here.
Kotkaniemi Stepping Up
The Hurricanes have been humming lately. With seven games straight with a point, they have had some huge offensive performances. This includes their last 6-3 win over Anaheim in addition to big 6-1 and 6-2 wins over the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals respectively. The contributions offensively have stemmed from a hot power play, superstar power from Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, an engaged Brent Burns, and depth scoring. But one player who has been struggling over this span is Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
In the last seven games, Kotkaniemi only has two points. Both are assists with only one being primary. As the team’s second-line centre, Kotkaniemi needs to get back to his early success this year. There could be several reasons for his slump, which actually extends longer than these last seven games. And it’s not that he hasn’t provided anything on the ice. For example, over that span, he is over 61% in the faceoff circle. But he simply is not producing at the level the team wants. He has seen his ice time reduced as well. With Jack Drury‘s play of late it is not unreasonable to think they may swap spots at some point. But Carolina needs a big game from Kotkaniemi here to pull out the win.
Goaltending Consistency
No matter who is in net for Carolina, the goalies finding their rhythm has been key to the team’s success. Yes, the team still limits chances very well. But chances do get through, and sometimes in the form of grade-A ones. This is where a decent goalie is needed as the last line of defence.
With the injury to Kochetkov, Antti Raanta will need to really step up. Since returning from his AHL stint he has played quite well. A decent showing against the Montreal Canadiens was followed by a great performance against the St. Louis Blues. In relief of Kochetkov against Anaheim, he didn’t have to do much but kept everything out of the net to secure the win. His overall stats for the year are still frankly terrible. But your past doesn’t necessarily dictate your future. And it will be big in this one for Raanta to continue his recent trend of solid play to help Carolina assuming Kochetkov doesn’t make a return.
Prediction Time
This is going to be an interesting one to watch. The last matchup between these two was a tight affair and there’s a high chance it will be the same here. Pittsburgh is great at keeping pucks out of their net but Carolina has seen some electrifying offensive performances lately. With questions in net for the Hurricanes mixed with uncertainty on Martin Necas‘ return, it will be a tough test for them. Expect another close one here.
Prediction: Carolina wins 3-2
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
