The Carolina Hurricanes (21-11-1) travel to face off against the Nashville Predators (10-17-7) on Monday, December 23rd. This game will be played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and televised on ESPN+. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 8:00 ET.

Hurricanes vs Predators

The Carolina Hurricanes Are Coming Off A Win

Carolina improved to 21-11-1 with a 4-2 win over the Capitals. The Hurricanes covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 6 goals was a push.

The Hurricanes scored first, but the Capitals responded with two goals in the first period. Carolina then scored three unanswered goals, including an empty-netter, to secure the win.

The Nashville Predators Are Coming Off A Win

Nashville improved to 10-17-7 with a 5-2 road win over the Avalanche. The Predators covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, with the total of 7 goals surpassing the pre-game line of 6.5.

After falling behind 1-0 in the second period, Nashville responded with five unanswered goals. Five different players contributed to the scoring for the Predators.

Carolina Offense Breakdown

Dmitry Orlov scored twice for the Hurricanes, bringing his season total to three goals. He found the net first at 5:59 in the first period and again at 14:34 in the second. Martin Necas, who now has six goals this season, added another for Carolina, while Andrei Svechnikov scored his sixth on an empty net with 9 seconds left in the game.

Necas also picked up his 12th assist on Orlov’s first goal and added another assist on Orlov’s second. Carolina took 45 shots on goal but failed to convert on any power play opportunities. The Hurricanes scored 14:01 into the first period, 2:29 and 5:26 into the second, and 19:51 into the third period.

Predators Offense Breakdown

Nashville’s offense put up 5 goals on 25 shots in their 5-2 victory over Colorado. The Predators added two empty-net goals, with Filip Forsberg netting his 7th of the season and Gustav Nyquist following with his 4th. Earlier, Roman Josi scored his first goal of the year on a power play, while Steven Stamkos picked up his 2nd goal, also on a power play. Colton Sissons added his first goal of the season.

The Predators had 15 giveaways but managed 7 assists, including Jonathan Marchessault’s 5th of the season. Gustav Nyquist also recorded his 4th assist on Forsberg’s empty-netter. Nashville was held scoreless in the first period before Stamkos got them on the board with his power-play goal.

Carolina Team Defense

Defensively, the Hurricanes will look to carry their momentum into the first period of this game after allowing two late goals in the opening frame against Washington. They responded by shutting out the Capitals in the second and third periods, leading to a 4-2 win. Pyotr Kochetkov made 19 saves with a 90.5% save percentage, and Carolina’s defense recorded 7 takeaways and 10 hits.

Nashville Team Defense

Defensively, the Predators will look to build on their previous performance, where they allowed just two goals to Colorado. Juuse Saros recorded 29 saves with a 93.5% save percentage. Nashville’s defense also contributed 4 takeaways, 23 hits, and 25 blocks. The Predators will aim to tighten up early, as both goals they allowed came in the 2nd and 3rd periods.

Hurricanes vs Predators Trends

• Across their ten previous road games, Carolina has an puck line mark of 3-7. Their straight up record in these matchups was 3-7 while averaging 2 goals per game.
• Through their last three home games, Nashville has an puck line record of just 1-2. However, their overall record was 2-1 while averaging 3 goals per game.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Predators have gone 1-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Hurricanes have an puck line mark of just 4-6 in their last ten games. Carolina posted a straight up mark of 5-5 in these matchups.

Hurricanes vs Predators Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Predators to defeat the Hurricanes while playing at home. Given the current moneyline odds at +114, I’m placing a wager on the Predators to win outright.

Our projections have the Predators pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Predators, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering 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.