The Carolina Hurricanes will be on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Metropolitan Division NHL game on Thursday (December 22).
The Hurricanes are doing well as they're leading the Metropolitan Division with a 20-6-6 record. The Penguins are third in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-9-4 record.
This will be their third of four games between Carolina and Pittsburgh. They last played on Sunday with the Hurricanes picking up a 3-2 home win.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
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Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Match Details
Fixture: Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Date & Time: Thursday, December 22, 2022; 7:00 pm EDT
Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Key Stats
The Carolina Hurricanes have struggled this season offensively as they are scoring 96 goals, which is 24th in the NHL. They have been struggling on the power play, scoring 19 goals on 108 power play attempts (17.59%). They have been shooting below league average with an 8.6 shooting percentage as a team.
Pyotr Kochetkov is the starting goaltender for the Hurricanes and is expected to be in the net for this game. He did well in his previous game, as he allowed one goal on 38 shots against the New Jersey Devils in a winning effort.
Kochetkov is 10-1-4 with a .928 save percentage and 1.94 goals allowed per game. They've given up 82 goals so far, which is fourth in the NHL right now, and are doing pretty well in terms of penalty kills, so they need to be better at full strength.
The Penguins, meanwhile, have been an incredible offensive team as they have posted 111 total goals, 10th-most in the NHL. They're also average in terms of power plays too, going 25 of 109 (22.94%). Center Sidney Crosby has fared well, recording 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists).
Tristan Jarry has done well this season as the starting goaltender for the Penguins, as he's 15-3-3 with 2.60 goals allowed per game and has a .922 save percentage.
He played last Tuesday night in the loss against the Rangers, finishing with two goals allowed on 28 shot attempts on the ice. As a team, they're allowing the eighth-fewest goals allowed (91 goals). They have been killing penalties well, killing 84-of-100 (84%) of all their penalties.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Prediction
These teams are very similar as they are tied 5-5 in goals against one another so far. Looking at their scoring output as of late, Carolina has scored four goals in their last three games while Pittsburgh is averaging 2.75 goals in their previous four games. All in all, go with the Carolina Hurricanes to pick up a road win here.
Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes ML (+120)
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