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It may be spooky season, but the NHL is back and better than ever with an intriguing matchup on Friday night! The Carolina Hurricanes will travel to the west coast to take on the San Jose Sharks in an inter-conference duel! Join us for our NHL odds series where our Hurricanes-Sharks prediction and pick will be unveiled.
After finishing the 2021-2022 regular season with an outstanding 54-20 record that included a dramatic playoff run that fell short in the second round to the New York Rangers, the extremely talented Hurricanes come into this season with a chip on their shoulders to prove to the rest of the league that they have what it takes to bring home Lord Stanley. Already 1-0 on the young season by downing the Blue Jackets at home 4-1 on Wednesday, Carolina is as confident as ever that they can go 2-0 to start off the year.
As for San Jose, the Sharks enter the new season with hopes of improving off of last year's campaign that saw them go 32-37-13 throughout the 82-game season. Obviously a disappointing mark for a team that always has playoff expectations, San Jose will need to up their game if they want to live up to those aspirations. Not to mention, but Friday evening's showdown will be a reunion of sorts as longtime Sharks defender Brent Burns will return to San Jose. Clearly, this will be a major storyline heading into this one.
Burns played for San Jose for 11 years, where he ended up switching positions to forward. He decided to go back on the defensive side in 2014 and then a few years later won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's best defenceman.
Here are the Hurricanes-Sharks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Hurricanes-Sharks Odds
Carolina Hurricanes: -1.5 (+120)
San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-148)
Over: 6 (-110)
Under: 6 (-110)
Why The Hurricanes Could Cover The Spread
In order for the Hurricanes to put the Sharks in their place by covering the spread, Carolina will need to show off their extreme depth that got even deeper during the offseason. In fact, like Burns, the ‘Canes decided to bolster their roster with a ton of former San Jose Sharks. These acquisitions include names like center Lane Pederson and forward Ryan Dzingel who used to grace the black and green jerseys. Not to mention, but the Hurricanes didn't stop there as they made a move to get Norris-winning defender Max Pacioretty in a deal with the cap-strapped Vegas Golden Knights. Pacioretty won't be available for this one after having Achilles tendon surgery in August, but Carolina is out for blood and they may be even more improved from the dominant team that they had a year ago.
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Another reason the ‘Canes will have a tremendous shot to cover the spread is because of this team's top line of Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis. At full strength, the Hurricanes should have the advantage against a lesser Sharks first line.
Why The Sharks Could Cover The Spread
When it comes to the Sharks, they certainly don't believe that they are in rebuild mode and instead have the pieces within this roster to compete for a playoff spot. After finishing 11th in the Western Conference a season ago, the Sharks need to deploy a strategy to keep the Hurricanes guessing out on the ice.
Since returning home from an international trip to Prague where they were pitted against the Predators in back-to-back losses to start the season, San Jose needs to get back on track fast before things get out of hand. While it is still extremely early in the season to be hitting the panic button with a whopping 80 games still to be played, starting off 0-3 with a loss at home to Carolina would not be a part of San Jose's plan for success.
Without a doubt, San Jose's biggest difference-maker in this one is Alexander Barabanov and his availability for tonight's showdown. Clearly, Barabanov would be a welcomed addition to a Sharks top line that could use his offensive prowess against a ‘Canes squad that can put up goals in the blink of an eye. If Barabanov can suit up for play, then the Sharks' chances of covering the spread increase dramatically.
Final Hurricanes-Sharks Prediction & Pick
At first glance, the Sharks are fortunate enough to be playing this game at their home arena instead of at Carolina where the fans are in a frenzy, but I'm afraid that the Hurricanes are just too fast and possess a lethal amount of depth for San Jose to overcome. When the dust settles, Carolina will have handled their business.
Final Hurricanes-Sharks Prediction & Pick: Hurricanes -1.5 (+120)
