Hurricanes vs Penguins Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight’s NHL Game

The Carolina Hurricanes — fresh off an impressive 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils — attempt to cool down a Pittsburgh Penguins offense exceeding expectations.

My Hurricanes vs. Penguins predictions expect the road team to expose Pittsburgh’s goaltending and pick up another inner-division win.

Let’s take a closer look in my NHL picks for October 18.

Hurricanes vs Penguins prediction

My best bet
Hurricanes moneyline (-145 at Pinnacle)

My analysis
The Carolina Hurricanes went through a lot of personnel changes in the offseason, but very early returns suggest they should remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

They’ve played two games against very good teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils, who own combined records of 8-2-0, and dominated both at 5-on-5.

Carolina has controlled 63% of the high-danger chances, 59% of the shot attempts, and outscored opponents 4-1 at full strength.

The Canes' bread and butter has been suffocating teams with insane forecheck pressure, forcing turnovers high up the ice, and generating what feels like never-ending possessions in the offensive zone. That’s how they’ve held opponents to just 40 shots on goal through nearly 100 minutes of 5-on-5 play.

I don’t see the Pittsburgh Penguins faring much better against this stingy Hurricanes side. They met four times a season ago, and, at 5-on-5 alone, the Pens allowed 32 more scoring chances than they generated.

Pittsburgh will spend a lot of time on its heels tonight. It’s fair to question if its goaltending can handle all the extra shots and chances it's going to be tasked with stopping. Based on the .827 team SV% thus far, I’m leaning towards no.

Look for the Hurricanes to flex their muscles en route to a second straight inner-division victory.

Hurricanes vs Penguins same-game parlay (SGP)

Hurricanes moneyline

Evgeni Malkin Under 2.5 shots

Sebastian Aho Over 0.5 points

+250 at bet365

The Hurricanes allowed a league-low 25.35 shots on goal per game last season. They’ve picked up where they left off in the early going, giving up only 24.35 shots on average.

We’re still dealing with small sample sizes, but based on the caliber of opponents faced (Tampa Bay and New Jersey), you would think that’d work against Carolina’s shot suppression numbers. That is not the case.

Evgeni Malkin has struggled mightily to generate shots against the Hurricanes in recent seasons. In fact, he’s finished with two shots or fewer in nine of his past 10 against Carolina — averaging just 1.7 per contest.

Sebastian Aho is centering a loaded top line alongside Carolina’s two best wingers, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis. He’s also a focal point of the No. 1 power-play unit. Factor in the Penguins also have subpar goaltending, and Aho seems primed to make his mark in this game.

He’s had little trouble generating offense against the Penguins in the past, hitting the scoresheet in seven of the last nine meetings.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Hurricanes vs Penguins odds

Hurricanes vs Penguins live odds

Hurricanes vs Penguins opening odds

• Puck line: Carolina -1.5 (+173) | Pittsburgh +1.5 (-199)
• Moneyline: Carolina -142 | Pittsburgh +126
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+101) | Under 6.5 (-116)

Hurricanes vs Penguins moneyline and Over/Under analysis

• Carolina has closed as the favorite in five straight games against Pittsburgh, winning three of them.
• The Hurricanes have hit the moneyline in 21 of their last 30 away games.
• The Under is 1-8-1 over the last 10 meetings. That such a high total has held steady at its price in this game tells you what the market thinks of Pittsburgh’s goaltending.

Hurricanes vs Penguins trend

Sebastian Aho has nine points over his last nine games against Pittsburgh. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Penguins.

Hurricanes vs Penguins game info

Hurricanes vs Penguins latest injuries

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