Penguins vs. Hurricanes Pick
Are the host Carolina Hurricanes a smart play as a small home underdog tonight when they entertain the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Penguins are listed as a -120 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Hurricanes are a +100 underdog, while the total is set at 6 goals. Pittsburgh opened as a -125 favorite before the line dropped slightly, while the total has bumped up from 5.5 goals.
As of Friday afternoon, 82 percent of public bets have come in on the Penguins. Online wager info also shows that 74 percent of bets have sided with the over.
This is the fourth meeting this season between the two squads. Carolina won the first two games, 2-1 at home on Dec. 29 and 4-0 at Pittsburgh on Jan. 4. The Penguins followed up with a 3-1 home victory on Jan. 23. Pittsburgh has won eight of the last 10 meetings as it had dominated the series until the first two games this season. The under has hit five straight time and is 7-2-1 over the last 10 meetings.
Pittsburgh enters on a five-game winning streak, most recently winning 5-2 at Columbus. The Penguins are 8-2 over their last 10 games, while the over has also gone 8-2. Carolina has dropped three in a row and is 4-6 over their last 10 contests, while the under has gone 8-2.
The Penguins are a much better team at home, but when weighing these two squads they are still a stronger team than Carolina regardless of where the game happens. With the Hurricanes having won the first two games against Pittsburgh this season, I imagine the Penguins will be motivated to get another one back to even the season series at 2-2. Look for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to both get in the scoring column during a Pittsburgh win.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS -120