Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
Both opponents won their only games this week, but the Carolina Hurricanes, unlike the Minnesota Wild, look much more assured — they are on course for the play-offs.
Carolina Hurricanes
Although everything is conditional. From the bottom team in the Eastern Conference, the Florida Panthers, to the sixth-placed Carolina Hurricanes there are only three points. No one has played fewer games than the Hurricanes (12). They have spent noticeably less time at home than on the road — four games against eight. The balance is good: only one defeat and three wins. In any case, the team have scored at least three goals.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild’s latest win (3:2 OT), which came at home, was highly dramatic. The Nashville Predators equalised with 0.2 seconds left in the third period — the hosts failed to score into the empty net. In overtime Marcus Johansson scored after the net was dislodged by the goalkeeper, which automatically resulted in a goal. The previous road trip ended with only one win in four games. In defeats they scored no more than once.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Minnesota Wild Prediction
For the Carolina Hurricanes, Pyotr Kochetkov finally returned and recorded a shutout against the New York Rangers (3:0) in his first game of the season. The first-choice Frederik Andersen is also making enough saves (89.4%), so we recommend backing the hosts to win.
