Predators vs Hurricanes Picks and Predictions: Teu(vo) Good for Nashville Penalty Kill

Breaking slumps is the theme tonight in Raleigh when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Nashville Predators.

The Preds are looking to snap a three-game skid, but will be in tough as sizeable NHL betting underdogs against a Hurricanes team that is third in the league in points percentage — but has suffered more Ls than Ws lately.

One of these teams will get back in the win column tonight — see who we think that will be in our free NHL picks and predictions for Predators vs. Hurricanes on Friday, February 18.

Predators vs Hurricanes odds

This odds widget represents the best odds currently available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

The Hurricanes opened as -163 favorites at home and at the time of writing are now generally in the -170 to -175 range. The total opened at 6.0 with most books still offering that number, although some are dealing 5.5, heavily shaded to the Over.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Predators vs Hurricanes predictions

• Prediction: Hurricanes -1.5 (+150)
• Prediction: Over 6 (+105)
• Best bet: Teravainen Over 0.5 ppp (+165)

Predictions made on 2/18/2022 at 11:04 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Predators vs Hurricanes game info

• Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
• Date: Friday, February 18, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports South, TVAS

Predators vs Hurricanes betting preview

Key injuries

Predators: None to report.
Hurricanes: None to report.
Find our latest NHL injury reports.

Predators vs Hurricanes head-to-head record (since 2020)

Predators: 2-6-1, 19 goals for.
Hurricanes: 7-2-0, 27 goals for.

Betting trend to know

The Predators are 1-5 in their last six games as a road underdog. Find more NHL betting trends for Predators vs. Hurricanes.

Predators vs Hurricanes picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Puck line analysis

The Hurricanes have been one of the NHL's best teams all year, sitting fifth in the league in points and third in points percentage, but after a crushing home loss to Florida on Wednesday — in which they gave up the tying goal with less than a minute left and proceeded to lose 16 seconds into overtime — Carolina has now dropped four of its last five games.

We could forgive the previous four games, which were all on the road, but the Florida loss is a little unsettling. The Hurricanes were dominated on home ice by a Panthers team coming off a 15-day layoff, getting outshot 31-18 while generating roughly 40% of all shot attempts and only having a 42.8% offensive zone start percentage.

It was an uncharacteristically bad performance for a team that has played dominant hockey all year (especially at home), but we could also chalk it up to Florida being arguably the best team in hockey, which is playing at an insanely-high level right now (despite the layoff) and has now won all three matchups against Carolina this season.

Nashville, on the other hand, is still a very good team but isn't the Panthers, in terms of overall talent, current form, and recent history against the Hurricanes. The Predators have dropped three straight games out of the All-Star break, with Moneypuck game simulators suggesting they'd lose each game more than 60% of the time (based on 1,000 simulations).

Although Nashville posted 5-on-5 Corsi For percentages of 53.6, 51.1, and 60.6 in those matchups — signifying it generated the majority of shot attempts — and has allowed just 9.38 high-danger chances per 60 minutes, good for 23rd in the league over that span (per Natural Stat Trick), they got absolutely crushed by a lack of discipline and a terrible penalty kill: the Preds went shorthanded a whopping 18 times in those three games, giving up six goals.

While goaltender Juuse Saros hasn't been bad by any means, he also hasn't done anything to help Nashville during this stretch with a paltry .885 SV% and -1.21 goals saved above expected during this skid. That's not a great recipe against a Carolina side that has had at least four power plays in four straight games and has been one of the best 5-on-5 possession teams at home all season.

Neither team enters tonight with momentum, but considering Nashville has been losing at home to middle-of-the-pack teams — compared to Carolina losing both on the road and against some of the NHL's elite — we're going to lean with the Hurricanes, who boast a bit more depth on the roster and should want to get the taste of that Florida loss washed out of their mouth.

With Carolina leading near the end of the game (as we expect), Nashville will pull its goalie to get the extra skater but has struggled in that situation, allowing 11 empty-net goals this year (fifth-most in the NHL) in 18 times with an empty net (per MoreHockeyStats).

The regular moneyline price of -170 is a little pricy, but the potential for the Canes to tack on a freebie at the end makes the -1.5 puck line a very juicy value. 

Prediction: Hurricanes -1.5 (+150)

Over/Under analysis

While Saros, Nashville's All-Star goalie, hasn't exactly been at his best lately, Carolina's All-Star netminder Frederik Andersen is in a slight rut as of late too.

The Danish goalie has given up 3+ goals in three of his four post-ASB outings, with a positive goals saved above expected in just one of those contests — a 6-0 win against a severely shorthanded Bruins team. The Hurricanes as a whole have conceded 3+ goals in four of their five games since the break but are still averaging 3.2 goals per game in that span.

Nashville has an expected goals against per 60 of 3.66 since the ASB, with Carolina sitting at 2.72. Add in that neither netminder is playing particularly sharp and it's a perfect recipe for a higher-scoring game.

The total has gone Over in six of Nashville's last seven road games and 13 of its last 19 games overall while the Canes have gone 7-2 to the Over in their last nine games against teams with a winning record.

Prediction: Over 6 (+105)

Best bet

We mentioned that Nashville's penalty kill has been atrocious lately — and that Carolina has been getting plenty of man-advantage opportunities — so we're looking at a Hurricanes power play prop tonight as our best bet... mainly the Canes' main man on the PP.

Winger Teuvo Teravainen doesn't get as much attention as the likes of Sebastian Aho or Andrei Svechnikov, but he's been the most productive Carolina player with the man advantage this season with 18 power-play points.

Over the last month, he's been even better, with five ppp in seven games while leading the team in power play time on ice per game (more than three minutes), with 14.06 assists per 60 minutes of PP time (first on the team), and his 19.69 shots per 60 with the man advantage is second on the team during that span.

Teravainen is both facilitating and shooting on the Canes' top power-play unit, yet is priced right alongside his other teammates.

We're going to bank on the Hurricanes scoring at least one goal with the man advantage — and Teravainen is a good bet to be involved.

Pick: Teuvo Teravainen Over 0.5 power-play points (+165)

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