Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
ThE Carolina Hurricanes have put together a splendid seven-game winning streak. During this run, the Hurricanes have only allowed more than two goals once. On Thursday night, they will face off against the second-to-last team in the Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Carolina Hurricanes
In their first encounter with the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 19 (4:1), we saw classic Carolina Hurricanes: a 39-26 advantage in shots on target, 22-13 in high-danger scoring chances, and ten players contributing to the score sheet. Since then, little has changed. In their last game, the Hurricanes netted six goals against the Philadelphia Flyers (6:4), with goals coming from six different players. Their incredible depth allows the hosts to average over four goals (4.09) per game.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins struggle in this regard as, beyond Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell, there aren't many threats. The efforts of their top line cannot cover the massive defensive issues faced by the Penguins, who concede 3.71 goals per game. It's almost comical. Last season, the team from Pennsylvania managed to score 10 goals against the Carolina Hurricanes, with Sidney Crosby contributing to 7 of them in some way.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction
The Carolina Hurricanes set the tone even on the road, let alone at home. They haven't lost in front of their fans since October 12, which is almost a whole month. Several things would have to go wrong for that streak to end against the lacklustre Pittsburgh Penguins. We'll bet on the favourite with a handicap.
