Carolina Hurricanes at Nashville Predators NHL Picks & Predictions 12/21/2017

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Bridgestone Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Carolina Hurricanes travel to Bridgestone Arena to play the Nashville Predators on Thursday, December 21, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Hurricanes at +153 and the Predators at -170.

Carolina has a record of 14-12-7 this season and on the road they have a record of 7-8-4. They are 8th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 91 goals and given up 106 goals for a point differential of -15. For the season they have an ATS record of 14-19-0 and an over/under record of 16-15-0. Nashville is 21-8-4 including 11-3-2 at home this season. They are 1st in the Central Division. They've scored 112 goals and surrendered 91 for a goal differential of +21. Their record against the spread is 21-12-0 while their over/under record is 18-15-0.

Valuable Carolina Hurricanes Betting Trends

The Carolina Hurricanes are 14-19-0 straight up this year

The Carolina Hurricanes are 16-15-0 against the over/under this season

Important Nashville Predators Betting Trends

The Nashville Predators are 21-12-0 straight up this year

The Nashville Predators are 18-15-0 against the over/under this season

Key Carolina Hurricanes Injuries

11/13/17 RW Lee Stempniak Hip IR (10/02)

Key Nashville Predators Injuries

10/02/17 D Ryan Ellis Knee IR (10/03)

Player Spotlight

Sebastian Aho has accumulated 23 total points this season for the Hurricanes. He has 7 goals this year with 94 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 16 assists on the season and averages 18.3 minutes played per game. Teuvo Teravainen averages 16.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 8 goals on 67 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 25 points on the season. Scott Darling has 8 wins and 10 losses this season in net for the Hurricanes. He has 655 shots against him and he's given up 68 goals. He's made 587 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Player Spotlight

Viktor Arvidsson has scored 23 total points this year for the Predators. He has 11 goals this season with 112 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 10%. He has a total of 12 assists on the season and averages 18.4 minutes played per game. Filip Forsberg averages 18 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 17% by scoring 15 goals on 86 shots. He has 18 assists, giving him a total of 33 points on the season. Pekka Rinne has 18 wins and 5 losses this year in goal for the Predators. He has 849 shots against him and he's surrendered 62 goals. He's made 787 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Hurricanes have 35 total points this season, which ranks them 21st in the NHL. They are 27th in the league in goals scored with 91 while they've given up 106 goals, ranking them 11th overall. They have had 106 power play opportunities and have scored 15 goals on those chances for a percentage of 14%. That is 29th in the NHL. The Hurricanes have allowed 82 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 76%, putting them 29th in the league when short-handed. They average 35 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.93% for the season. They allow 30 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 28th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Predators are 3rd in the NHL with a total of 46 points this year. They have 33 power play goals on 124 opportunities for a percentage of 27%. That ranks them 2nd in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 140 power play opportunities and have given up 23 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. That is 4th in the NHL. As a team, the Predators are 6th in the league with 112 goals scored while they've given up 91 goals, which is 25th overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.11%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%. That is 5th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Carolina has a Corsi percentage of 54.2% as they've tried 2,175 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 1,837 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 1st in Corsi percentage. They are 2nd in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 53.4% as they have 1,600 shots while they've given up 1,395 attempts on defense. The Hurricanes start possessions in the offensive zone 58.5% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 41.5% for the year. That puts them 1st and 30th in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,029 face-off wins as opposed to 924 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52.7%. That is 1st overall in the NHL. On defense Carolina has 619 hits and they've blocked 442 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 30th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Predators start possessions in the offensive zone 44.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 55.2% for the year. That ranks them 31st and 2nd respectively in the NHL. They have 1,122 face-off wins as opposed to 1,011 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52.6%. That is 2nd in the league. On defense Nashville has 692 hits and they've blocked 494 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 18th in blocked shots. Nashville is ranked 25th in Corsi percentage with 48.4% as they've tried 1,855 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 1,979 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 20th in the NHL at 48.5%, as they have 1,400 shots while they've given up 1,485 attempts on defense.

Who will win tonight's Hurricanes/Predators NHL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Nashville -170

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