The Carolina Hurricanes (17-12-3) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (14-13-3) on Thursday, December 21st. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins

The Carolina Hurricanes Are Coming Off A Win

This season, the Hurricanes currently hold an overall record of 17-12-3. When playing on the road, Carolina has a 8-10-0 record, while they are 9-2-3 at home. This record has them sitting 4th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 7th in the Eastern conference. This season, Carolina’s average scoring margin is +.1, which has their puck line record at 11-21. Their average home scoring margin is +.6, and in road games, it stands at -0.3.

In their most recent game, the Hurricanes faced the Golden Knights and came out victorious with a score of 6-3. Against the Golden Knights, Hurricanes’ offense was able to score in all three periods. Of Carolina’s six goals, three came while in power play. They ended the game with 38 shots on goal and had 10 giveaways.

Carolina secured a win against the puck line, entering the game as the favorites with a -1.5 goal advantage. With a combined total of 9 goals, the teams exceeded the over/under line of 6 goals set for the game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

Currently, the Penguins hold an overall record of 14-13-3 for the season. On the road, Pittsburgh has a 7-7-2 record, while they are 7-6-1 at their home venue. They are currently positioned 7th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 13th in the Eastern conference. Looking at Pittsburgh’s average scoring margin, it is +.1, which has led to a puck line record of 12-18. When playing at home, their scoring margin is +.3, and on the road, it is -0.1.

The Penguins most recently faced the Wild at home and achieved a 4-3 win. Throughout the game against the Wild, Penguins’ offense managed to score in every single period. Out of Pittsburgh’s four goals, two were scored during power plays. They concluded the game with 30 shots on goal and had nine giveaways.

Pittsburgh couldn’t cover the puck line despite the straight-up win, as they entered the game as the favorites with a -1.5 goal advantage. With a combined total of 7 goals, the teams exceeded the over/under line of 6 goals set for the game.

Carolina Offense Breakdown

For their offensive performance, the Hurricanes come in averaging 3.3 goals per game this season, which is 6th in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 1st in the league. The Hurricanes went 15-9 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 2-1.

This season, the Hurricanes have an over/under record of 15-16-1. Throughout last season, they played 48 games that did not exceed the 6.5 over/under line. On average, their games featured 5.8 goals per game.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

For their offensive performance, the Penguins come in averaging 2.9 goals per game this season, which is 27th in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 10th in the league. This season, the Penguins have a 8-7 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. In games with fewer shots on goal, they hold a 6-6 record.

The Penguins’ over/under record this season is 11-17-2. For the season, they have had 18 games failing to surpass this game’s over/under line of 6.5. Overall, their games are averaging 5.7 goals per game.

Carolina Team Defense

Defensively, the Hurricanes are currently 31st in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 25.4 shots per game against Carolina. They also are 11th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins come into the season ranked 17th in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 31.2 shots per game against Pittsburgh. For the season, they are ranked 1st in shutouts, coming in with 4 shutouts.

Hurricanes vs Penguins Trends

• Although Carolina has a straight up record of 2-1 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs. the puck line going 1-2. The team averaged 3 goals per game in these games.
• In their last five games at home, the Penguins have a straight up record of 1-4 while going 0-5 vs. the spread. The team averaged 1 goals per game in this stretch.
• As the betting underdog, the Penguins have an puck line mark of just 2-3 in their last five games. Pittsburgh posted a straight up mark of 2-3 in these matchups.
• The last ten games that Carolina was favored, they have an puck line mark of 3-7 while going 4-6 straight up.

Hurricanes vs Penguins Prediction

For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Hurricanes to pick up on a win over the Penguins and the road. With the moneyline sitting at -124, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Hurricanes straight-up.

If you’re looking for a puck line bet, I’d suggest going with the Penguins to cover. Even in the event of a Hurricanes victory, this game is expected to be closely fought, and the Penguins should cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 6.5 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.