Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, and the Carolina Hurricanes will face off against Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in a Metro Division showdown. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will showcase the matchup, and the puck drops at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 8.
Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
US sportsbooks put the role of favorites on the Penguins (-170), while the Hurricanes are offering moneyline odds of +150, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Pittsburgh is 39-28 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.6 units this season. That win percentage, the third-best in the Metropolitan Division so far in this young season, is fairly close to what the team managed during last year’s regular season (44-38). 33 of its 67 matches have gone under the total, while 30 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team is 23-11 SU at home this season.
The Penguins have converted on 20.5 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated seventh overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.5 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 25.1 saves per game with a .898 save percentage, Matt Murray (20 wins, 17 losses, and five OT losses) has been the primary option in goal for the Pens this season. Murray did just play yesterday, however, so Pittsburgh might opt to give him a breather and turn to Tristan Jarry instead (20-12-12 record, .924 save percentage, 2.31 goals against average).
Losing 6.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline, Carolina is 36-30 straight up (SU) overall thus far. A total of 34 of its matches have gone under the total, while 31 have gone over and none have pushed. The Hurricanes are 17-16 SU as a road team this season.
The Hurricanes have converted on 21.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fourth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.5 percent of all penalties.
Petr Mrazek (24.7 saves per game) has been the main option in goal for Carolina. Mrazek has 21 wins, 18 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit, while registering a .904 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average this year.
Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner โ Penguins, O/U โ Under
Betting Trends
Eight of Pittsburgh’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 3-5 overall in those games.
Power plays and penalty kills could prove to be key in this game. The Hurricanes are 10-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-20 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Penguins are 18-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 28-18 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Pittsburgh is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Carolina is 5-0 in shootouts.
The under has hit in three of Pittsburgh’s last five outings.
Carolina is ranked 22nd this season with 10.8 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended upward recently, as the team’s averaged 12.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 13.6 giveaways over its last five.
Pittsburgh has averaged 9.6 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 9.2 giveaways per game (the 11th-fewest in the league).
The Pens this season have registered the fourth-most hits in the league (27.6 per game).