Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 12/21/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Hurricanes (-105) Penguins (-115)

The Pittsburgh Penguins (14-13-3) welcome the Carolina Hurricanes (17-12-3) at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday. The moneyline on this game has the Hurricanes at -105 and the Penguins are sitting at -115. The over/under is 7.

The Carolina Hurricanes had a good night with a 6-3 win against the Golden Knights in their previous contest . The Hurricanes had a good offensive outing in this victory. For the matchup, they tallied a score on 6 of the 38 shots they put on goal. Furthermore, they had 3 power play chances and scored 3 goals. Carolina compiled 8 minutes in the box in this matchup.

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Carolina Hurricanes opponents have earned 102 power play opportunities (13th in the NHL) and have notched 19 goals in those attempts. The Hurricanes have had 818 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .875. Carolina has tried 1,089 shots and has a shooting percentage of 9.6%. When playing at even strength, the Hurricanes have given up 83 goals while getting 79 on offense. Carolina steps onto the ice with 109 power play chances and they have scored 26 goals out of those chances, giving them a rate of 23.85%. For the current campaign, they have scored 37 points and their points percentage is .578. When it comes to their scoring, the Carolina Hurricanes have earned 105 goals (7th in pro hockey) for the season and have allowed 102.

The player in the crease for this game is Pyotr Kochetkov. Over the course of his pro career, Kochetkov has accrued 23 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .590. His save percentage currently is .904 in his 2,413 minutes guarding the cage. Kochetkov has seen 1,051 shots taken against him and has accrued 950 total saves. The opposition has been able to score 101 goals against Kochetkov in his career and his goals against average is 2.51. He has accumulated a mark of 22-13-7 and he has started in 39 games. Kochetkov has been in net for 43 matchups over the course of his professional hockey career.

In their last outing, Pittsburgh faced the Wild in a game where the Penguins ended up with the victory by a score of 4-3. The Penguins converted 4 goals out of the 30 shots on goal they pursued. They had 5 power play chances in this matchup and converted 2 out of those opportunities.

For the year, the Pittsburgh Penguins have accounted for 86 goals, 31 points, and a points percentage of .517. They have permitted 83 goals to be scored by way of 65 goals at even strength and 18 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Penguins have accumulated 73 goals at even strength and 13 goals (26th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have a total of 90 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play rate of 14.44%. Pittsburgh has attempted 995 shots (8th in pro hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 8.64%, while allowing their opponents 940 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 81.63% on the other teams 98 power play opportunities, and their save percentage sits at 91.2%.

On the other side of the ice you are expected to see Tristan Jarry protecting the goal. Jarry has amassed a career mark of 126-71-22 and has been in net for 228 games. Jarry's quality start rate comes in at 60.5% and he has 133 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has a tally of 6,020 stops out of the 6,590 shots taken, which gives him a save % of .914. Opponents are averaging 2.64 goals per contest and he has relinquished 570 goals overall. He was named a starter in 220 games and has played for a total of 12,937 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-115)

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