James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Carolina Hurricanes: Can the Penguins stop the Hurricanes?

The Carolina Hurricanes are hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins today at Lenovo Center.

The Penguins are waking up

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 12th in the Western Conference with a 5-7-2 record, including 2-4-2 on the road. They have lost 7 of the last 9 games and are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Islanders. The Penguins are 18th in the league averaging 2.93 goals per game and are ranked 29th allowing 3.71. Evgeni Malkin leads the team with 16 points so far in the season.

The Hurricanes have the longest winning streak in the league

The Carolina Hurricanes are second in the Eastern Conference with a 9-2-0 record, including 4-1-0 at home. They have won the last 7 games and are coming off a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Hurricanes are third in the league allowing 2.46 goals per game and fourth scoring 4.09. Martin Necas is the best player on the team with 20 points which ties him for sixth in the NHL.

Betting Trends

The Hurricanes are 7-0 SU in their last 7 games overall, 4-1 SU in their last 5 home games and 5-0 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. Carolina has played under the total goal line in their last 6 games against Pittsburgh, their last 7 home games against them and 9 of their last 12 games played on Thursday. The Penguins are 2-7 SU in their last 9 games overall, 2-7 SU in their last 9 games against the Hurricanes, 0-5 SU in their last 5 games on the road and 1-4 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh has played under the total goal line in 8 of their last 9 games played in November.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Carolina Hurricanes have the longest active winning streak in the league, as they are looking for their 8th straight victory. They are closing out a four-game home skid tonight against the Penguins before they go West for the next three contests. The Penguins have made a slight improvement as they were at the bottom of the East but are still far from the form their fans expected. Carolina has won 7 of the last 9 games against the Penguins, including a 4-1 win in Pittsburgh earlier this season. Things will look quite similar, so we go with the Hurricanes to cover the -1.5-goal differential.