Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are happening and gives our predictions for each one, breaking down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play in. Today, we are looking at the Pittsburgh Penguins welcoming the Carolina Hurricanes in this round of NHL Predictions. Be sure to check out more NHL predictions as the 2024-25 season continues to move forward.
NHL Predictions
Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
Time: 7:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: NHL Network, Bally Sports South, SportsNet Pittsburgh
2023-24 Regular Season Series: Carolina won via points (2-1-1)
The Penguins welcome the Hurricanes in this round of NHL Predictions for the first time this season. This will be Carolina’s first road game, and only their third game of the season. So far they have gone 1-1 in what seemed like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde performances. For the Penguins, this is their sixth game. After a tough start against the New York Rangers, they are now 3-2 in five games played. Wednesday night saw a true back and forth affair against the Buffalo Sabres that ended in a Penguins 6-5 overtime victory. The biggest stories out of that one, however, were Sidney Crosby hitting the 1,600 points and Evgeni Malkin hitting the 500 goal marks. It was certainly a special night for those in attendance at PPG Paints Arena.
Carolina Looking to Mimic Tuesday’s Performance
The simplest answer for Carolina to have a good chance to win this one is to play like they did Tuesday. And not like they did in their home opener. Their 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils looked like a Rod Brind’Amour Hurricanes win. All four lines and three defensive pairs seemed to be buying into the system in that one. Carolina led the Devils in expected goals 3.68 to 2.76 at 5v5 as the advanced stats helped back up the eye test. Seth Jarvis, on the backside of signing his new long-term deal, got his first of the season. Shayne Gostisbehere also got his first as he lasered a shot in from some distance showing why the Hurricanes brought him back. Speaking of Gostisbehere, his defensive partner Sean Walker also played a very solid game. In fact, it was that pair that seemed to be leading the charge for a lot of the game. This will be crucial for Carolina this season to have those mobile defencemen pushing the play.
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Carolina Hurricanes on 2024-10-15:#LetsGoCanes #CauseChaos pic.twitter.com/JV9wyLsidZ
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 16, 2024
William Carrier is also fitting like a glove on the Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook line. But the biggest story of the night was rookie Jackson Blake scoring his first NHL goal. That goal turned out to be the game winner. In a small sample size Blake is showing why he made the team out of camp and got rewarded in that one. In net, both goalies have played solid each taking a start in the team’s first two games. Most likely we will see Frederik Andersen return to the net following Pyotr Kochetkov against the Devils as Brind’Amour will likely keep up a pretty consistent rotation. But make sure to check gameday lines for fantasy purposes. This goaltending battle should be interesting to watch this season. And while 5v5 has been good of late, Carolina will need to straighten out their special teams. Not that they have had many chances but they have not converted on the power play and on the kill are 66.7%.
Penguins Too Trying to Keep the Magic from Wednesday….and Establish Consistency in Net
The Penguins should be riding high entering this one. Not so much from their last game itself, a back and forth, high scoring affair that saw multiple lead changes and a goalie switch. But from the personal accomplishments of Crosby and Malkin mixed with a win. It was night of highs and lows but ended with good feelings for the Penguins. But there have been some highs and lows for Pittsburgh’s season so far too. Malkin is on a tear right now with 11 points in four games. If he is rolling it can pay huge dividends for Pittsburgh.
However in net, things have been a little interesting for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry was the presumed starter for the year but has struggled between the pipes. He currently holds a 1-1 record with a 5.47 GAA and .836% save percentage. Next in line would be Alex Nedeljkovic but he suffered an injury that has kept him out of the lineup. He could be coming back soon as he was recently activated and sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan. But it has been the rookie, Joel Blomqvist who has been carrying the load so far. He has a 2-1 record with a 2.86 GAA and .913% save percentage. At this point don’t be surprised to see Blomqvist to start against the Hurricanes. Getting goaltending consistency will be big for Pittsburgh.
NHL Predictions: Penguins vs Hurricanes in Pittsburgh
This one has the potential to go in a number of ways. Both teams are coming off of big wins. The question for Carolina is if they can continue to buy into the system or not. But they also need some special teams improvement to seize opportunities for and limit those against. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh too will be looking to keep up their offensive magic but must have decent goaltending to lock it down defensively. It’s early in the season but expect some fight here.
Prediction: Hurricanes win 3-1 in regulation
Looking at bets, I would take Martin Necas to score anytime for Carolina with +230 odds according to FanDuel. Necas is looking to make some noise and prove he is a top tier player but hasn’t been rewarded with a goal yet. On the other side, Sidney Crosby is always a safe bet for an anytime scorer with +175 odds.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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