The Carolina Hurricanes head into Pittsburgh for a matinee matchup against Metropolitan Division rival, the Penguins. Both teams have been playing lights out lately, which is why the 1st place spot in the division is up for grabs this afternoon as they each enter this game with 70 points on the season. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Hurricanes-Penguins prediction and pick.

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Here are the Hurricanes-Penguins NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Hurricanes-Penguins Odds

Carolina Hurricanes: +1.5 (-230) (+108 ML)

Pittsburgh Penguins: -1.5 (+184) (-130 ML)

Over: 6 (-114)

Under: 6 (-106)

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Why the Hurricanes Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off of a huge bounce-back win against the Nashville Predators on Friday as they improve to 6-2-2 in their last 10 matchups. The Hurricanes will be without Vincent Trocheck today, but they can still rely on their top talents in Sebastien Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Teravainen. Those three forwards have helped this team propel to the level that the Hurricanes are playing at right now, especially on special teams, where they are ranked seventh for best power play, and first in the league for their penalty kill. Carolina also has a very good goaltender in Frederik Andersen, as he's posting a .927 save percentage and allowing just 2.10 goals per game. It looks like he'll get the starting nod tonight as he looks to shut down the offense of this high-powered Pittsburgh Penguins team.

Why the Penguins Can Cover The Spread/Win

After losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins look to bounce back tonight and show why they deserve to stay at the top of the division. The Penguins have a lot of weapons beyond their superstars in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, such as Jake Gentzel, Bryan Rust, strong defensive play being led by Kris Letang, and excellent goaltending as well. This game will have the Penguins facing off against a true cup contender to see where they measure up to the rest of the competition. All-Star netminder Tristan Jarry will look to get another start between the home pipes tonight as he's been playing tremendously with a .923 save percentage and allowing 2.25 goals per game. This Penguins squad will be focused on defending home ice and remaining on top of the division with an extra two points.

Final Hurricanes-Penguins Prediction and Pick

The Penguins have won four of their last five matchups since the All-Star break and that only loss came from their last game in Toronto where they still put up 46 shots on net but were only able to scrape up one goal. The Hurricanes have lost four out of six since returning from the break and have also lost three of their last four road games. This is the first matchup between these teams in two years, so they're not very familiar with each other, but both teams are healthy, and I like the Penguins to get back on track at home today.

Final Hurricanes-Penguins Prediction and Pick: Penguins (-130)