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 the Utah Hockey Club welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Salt Lake City, Utah for the first time. Be sure to check in with more NHL Predictions as the season moves on.
NHL Predictions
Carolina Hurricanes vs Utah Hockey Club
Time: 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: FDSNSO; Utah16; ESPN+
For the first time in franchise history, the Utah Hockey Club will welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Salt Lake City in this matchup. Both teams are looking to continue to build ground in their respective playoff races in this one.
Carolina’s Story
Following a loss against the Colorado Avalanche, the Hurricanes rebounded with a big win against the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas on Monday night. Pyotr Kochetkov stood tall, while the second line of Eric Robinson, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Martin Necas lead the team offensively. With a record of 11-3-0, the team sits at the top of the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. Necas continues to produce as he leads the team in points with 24. Andrei Svechnikov is quietly in second with 14. Jack Roslovic continues to lead the team in goals with nine but Jordan Martinook has scored in four straight, and sits tied for third with five. Seth Jarvis missed their last game to injury as Tyson Jost stepped in and scored a goal. Pyotr Kochetkov is likely to get the start in this one again. He is on a seven-game win streak and has a solid .902 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average. As a note, as always please check for the very latest lineup notes before locking in your fantasy starter.
As a team, Carolina sits at the top of the league in goals scored per game with 4.21 and goals against per game at 2.57. Their special teams have been solid with a power play of 22.2% and a penalty kill of 83.3%. While 5v5 play looks to be their strength right now, they will need to continue fine-tuning their special teams to give them some added pressure on the opposition. That is especially so on the power play.
Utah’s Story
Utah started the season on a little run but has settled back in since their early success. Clayton Keller leads the team in points with 13, while Dylan Guenther leads in goals with seven. Some injury trouble on the backend has caused some difficulty to the team this year. But even with that, they still hold a record of 6-6-3. This includes a record of 3-5-2 in their last five. Connor Ingram has taken most of the starts and holds a .879 SV% and 3.40 GAA.
They are not at the basement but sit in the bottom side of the league when it comes to each of goals against per game (3.40), goals for per game (2.73), power play (15.4%), and penalty kill (76.9%). They will need to bring their best against a Hurricanes team that has been playing pretty well of late.
Prediction
When it comes to looking at this matchup, Utah has a lot of youth with tons of potential as well as a built-up defence from the offseason. They also are playing at home with still more to prove to the newly-minted Utah fans. However, even after an off night in Colorado, Carolina seems to have shaken that off quickly in their last win. Anything can happen but Carolina seems poised to get a win in this one.
Prediction: Carolina wins 4-1
Prop Bets of the Night
Looking at bets for the night from FanDuel, the moneyline is set at -172 odds for Carolina while the +1.5 spread seems like a bet worth taking with -178 odds. For any time goal scorers, I’d look at Martinook for Carolina as a wild card flyer to take a chance on with +390 odds. A safer bet would see Keller have +180 odds.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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