The Pittsburgh Penguins (17-18-6) travel to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes (23-14-2) on Sunday, January 5th. This game will be played at Lenovo Center in Raleigh and televised on ESPN+. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 6:00 ET.

Penguins vs Hurricanes

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

With a 3-1 win over the Canadiens, the Penguins moved closer to .500, now sitting at 17-18-6. Pittsburgh covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the pre-game line of 6.5.

Sidney Crosby led the scoring for the Penguins, finding the net twice. Pittsburgh’s defense held strong until the third period, when Montreal scored at 14:28. Blake Lizotte sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:15 in the third.

The Carolina Hurricanes Are Coming Off A Win

With a 4-2 win over the Capitals, the Hurricanes improved to 23-14-2 this season. Carolina covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total line of 6 goals resulted in a push.

Carolina took a 1-0 lead, but the Capitals responded with two goals in the first period. The Hurricanes then scored three unanswered goals to secure the victory, including an empty-netter with 9 seconds left in the game.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby led the Penguins’ offense with two goals in their 3-1 win over Montreal. He scored his 4th goal of the season in the first period and followed it up with a power-play goal, his 5th, in the second.

Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter, his 2nd goal of the season, to seal the victory. Pittsburgh took 24 shots on goal and had 14 giveaways.

Hurricanes Offense Breakdown

Carolina fired 45 shots on goal in their 4-2 win over Washington, with Dmitry Orlov scoring twice. Orlov’s goals were his third of the season. Martin Necas added his sixth goal and picked up two assists, bringing his assist total to 12. Andrei Svechnikov scored his sixth goal, an empty-netter with 9 seconds left.

The Hurricanes opened the scoring at 5:59 in the first period, with Orlov finding the net. After Washington took a 2-1 lead, Necas tied it up at 17:31 in the second period. Orlov’s second goal came at 14:34 in the second, giving Carolina a 3-2 lead.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on their previous performance, where they allowed just one goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage, and the defense added 5 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they allowed came at 5:32 in the 3rd period, making the score 2-1.

Carolina Team Defense

Carolina’s defense gave up two late goals in the first period—one at 19:16 and another at 19:49—but they tightened up after that, not allowing any goals in the second or third periods. Pyotr Kochetkov made 19 saves with a 90.5% save percentage, while the Hurricanes’ defense recorded 7 takeaways and 10 hits.

Penguins vs Hurricanes Trends

• Across the Penguins last ten road games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 3. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 5-5, while going 3-7 straight-up.
• Carolina has played well in their previous three home games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 2. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.
• The last ten games that Carolina was the underdog, they have an puck line mark of 6-4 while going 6-4 straight up.
• The Penguins have played well in their last three games as the betting favorite, going 3-0 straight up and 3-0 against the spread.

Penguins vs Hurricanes Prediction

When it comes to a straight moneyline bet, look no further than the Hurricanes. Nevertheless, given the payout of -216, you could also think about incorporating this bet into a parlay.

For my recommended choice in the puck line, I’m leaning towards the Penguins to cover. Even if the Hurricanes secure a straight-up win, this game is expected to be tightly contested, and the Penguins should cover the puck line.

For those looking at the over/under line set at 6.5 goals, our expectation is that this game will surpass that mark, and we suggest making 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.