Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and the Carolina Hurricanes are set to do battle against Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in a divisional tilt. The match gets underway at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 31 and it can be watched live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Carolina (+135) is playing the role of underdog to Pittsburgh (-155) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Carolina is 43-35 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 43 of its contests have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just two have pushed. This 2018-19 Hurricanes team is 20-18 SU on the road.
Carolina has converted on just 17.1 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 23rd in the NHL. On the other hand, it has the ninth-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 81.7 percent of its penalties..
Sporting a .911 save percentage and 25.0 saves per game, Petr Mrazek (21-17-3) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina this season. Mrazek played yesterday, however, so head coach Rod Brind Amour might opt to rest him and roll with Curtis McElhinney instead (19-12-2 record, .913 save percentage, 2.55 goals against average).
On the other bench, Pittsburgh is 42-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.2 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 78 regular season contests, 38 of its games have gone under the total, while 34 have gone over and just six have pushed. It’s 21-17 SU as the home team this year.
The Penguins have converted on 24.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.6 percent of all penalties.
Matt Murray (29.3 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for the Penguins. Murray has 27 wins, 19 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a .918 save percentage and 2.73 goals against average this season.
Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Over Pittsburgh’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-2 in those games).
- The Penguins are 14-12 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Hurricanes are 19-11 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
- Two of Pittsburgh’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 2-3 overall in shootouts this year.
- The total has gone under in four of Pittsburgh’s last five outings.
- Carolina skaters have averaged 8.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 11.4 giveaways per game (ranked 20th overall).
- Pittsburgh is ranked 14th this season with 9.9 giveaways per game. That figure has regressed, as it’s averaged 12.0 giveaways over its last 10 games and 12.2 giveaways over its last five.
- This game features two of the more aggressive defenses in the league. Carolina skaters have accounted for the league’s eighth-most hits per game (25.1) while the Penguins have handed the most (28.8).
