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The Carolina Hurricanes look to win on back-to-back nights as they host the Montreal Canadiens. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Canadiens-Hurricanes prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Canadiens enter the game sitting at 15-13-5 on the year and have won three of their last four games. In their last game, they faced the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks had the lead 1-0 after a first-period goal from Ryan Donato and made it 2-0 early in the second period. The Canadiens struck back though. Mitchell Stephens scored the first of the year, then Josh Anderson tied it up. To end the second period, Juraj Slafkovsky scored and the Canadiens had the lead going into the third period. In the third, Nick Suzuki would extend the lead before a David Savard empty-net goal iced it, and the Canadiens won 5-2.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are 18-13-4 on the year and faced the Predators in Nashville just last night. Sebastian Aho opened the scoring with a power play goal, and then Brent Burns scored on the power play to make it 2-0 in the first. The Predators would score early in the second, but Andrei Svechnikov answered right back as Aho got his third game point with the assist. The Predators would score on the power play, but the Hurricanes would add two more in the period, and Aho a fourth point of the game. After a scoreless third period, the Hurricanes would win 5-2.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Canadiens-Hurricanes Odds
Montreal Canadiens: +1.5 (-118)
Carolina Hurricanes: -1.5 (-102)
Over: 6.5 (+106)
Under: 6.5 (-130)
How to Watch Canadiens vs. Hurricanes
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Canadiens Will Cover The Spread
The Canadiens are 27th in the NHL in terms of goals per game this year, scoring just 2.79 goals per game. Nick Suzuki leads the team in goals, assists, and total points this year. Suzuki has ten goals and 20 assists on the season, good for 30 total points. He has also been great on the power play, with six goals and eight assists on the year. Meanwhile, Sean Monahan is second on the team in goals this year while sitting fourth on the team in points. He has nine goals this year with 11 assists, good for 20 points. He is also one of the primary goal scorers on the power play, coming in with five goals and four assists on the power play this year.
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Sitting third on the team in goals and tied for second in points this year is Cole Caufield. He has eight goals and 16 assists for his 24 points. He is not a major power-play scorer, with just two goals, but he sets up the play well, with eight power-play assists. Rounding out the top scorers is blueline Mike Matheson. He comes into the game with five goals and 19 assists on the year, tied for second in points with 24 of them.
Montreal has not been the best on the power play this year. They sit 22nd in the NHL in power play conversion rate, with 21 goals and a 17.6 percent conversion rate this year. They have also struggled on the penalty kill. The Canadiens are 29th in the NHL in success on the penalty kill with a 73.0 percent success rate.
Cayden Primeau will be in goal tonight for the Canadiens. He is 4-3-0 on the year with a 3.20 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. In three of his last four starts, he has given up just two goals, while saving over 90 percent of shots. All three have resulted in wins, while in the other start, he allowed five goals and took the loss.
Why The Hurricanes Will Cover The Spread
The Hurricanes are in the upper half of the NHL in scoring this year, sitting 14th in the NHL with 3.29 goals per game this year. Sebastian Aho is coming off a great game in which he scored four points. Aho leads the team in goals, assists, and total points. Aho comes into the game with 14 goals on the season and 21 assists, giving him 35 points. He also has four goals and ten assists on the power play, while having a shorthanded goal and assists. Teuvo Teravinen is second on the team in goals this year, sitting with 13 of them. He has eight assists as well with the year for a total of 21 points. He has four goals and three assists on the power play.
Second on the team in points is Seth Jarvis. He is the top goal scorer on the power play and comes into the game with seven goals on the power play and 12 total. Further, he has 14 assists this year, with one on the power play. This gives him a total of 26 points. Martin Necas is net on the team in points this year. He enters the game with nine goals this year while also having 16 assists on the year, to give him 25 points. He has two goals and five assists on the power play this year. Finally, Rounding out the top scorers is Michael Bunting. He has seven goals this year with 17 assists, good for 24 points. He has four goals and seven assists on the power play.
The Hurricanes power play ranks sixth in the NHL this year with a 25.6 percent conversion rate. They have scored 31 power-play goals this year. Their penalty kill ranks tenth in the NHL with an 82.5 percent success rate. They have also scored six times while shorthanded this year.
It is expected to be Antti Raanta in the goal tonight for the Hurricanes. After being sent down to the AHL, we were recalled to the NHL level. On the year he is 6-5-1 with a 3.61 goals-against average and a .854 save percentage. Still, he has lost each of his last four starts and has been awful in his last five appearances. In his last five games, Raanta has given up 23 goals on just 128 shots.
Final Canadiens-Hurricanes Prediction & Pick
The Hurricanes are coming off a big win, and while they did have to travel home for this game, it is a short trip from Nashville to Raleigh. The biggest worry in this game is Antti Raanta. He has been dreadful as of late, and the Canadiens can take advantage of that. With the Canadiens being rested and the Hurricanes having issues in goal, take the Canadiens to cover in this one.
Final Canadiens-Hurricanes Prediction & Pick: Canadiens +1.5 (-118)
