The PNC Arena in Raleigh was bumping on Monday night, as 12,000 raucous fans cheered the Carolina Hurricanes on to a convincing 5-2 game one win over the four-seed Nashville Predators.
The Hurricanes got points from all four lines Monday and held the overmatched Predators to just 1.1 expected goals at 5-on-5. Nashville will have to adapt quickly or they could find themselves down two games against the Central’s No. 1 team.
Here are our free NHL betting picks and predictions for Predators vs. Hurricanes for Wednesday, May 19 (8:00 p.m. ET).
Predators vs Hurricanes game info
• Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
• Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2021
• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TVAS, BSSO
Predators vs Hurricanes odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonCarolina is up a dime so far at TwinSpires Sportsbook, moving from a -185 favorite to -195 as of 4:30 p.m. ET. Moneyline ticket count and cash are both running in the 4/1 range on the Hurricanes. "We're seeing Carolina in a lot of parlays tonight, too. The Preds could end up being a sizable need," TwinSpires trading analyst Zachary Lucas said. The total is stable at 5.5 on two-way action, with 60 percent of tickets on the Over and 53 percent of money on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gamePredators vs Hurricanes series odds
Predators: +475
Hurricanes: -650
Predators at Hurricanes betting preview
Injuries
Predators: Mark Borowiecki D (Out), Luca Sbisa D (Out).
Hurricanes: Cedric Paquette F (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 5-1 in the Hurricanes’ last six games playing on one day’s rest. Find more NHL betting trends for Predators vs. Hurricanes.
Moneyline pick
The Hurricanes covered the puckline and made quick work of the Predators in a 5-2 win on Monday. Nashville was tied heading into the third period but gave way to the better team in the final frame after failing to create many quality opportunities. In all, the Predators created just one high-danger shot attempt (Filip Forsberg’s goal) and just another five medium-danger chances.
Three of the four Nashville forward lines were severely outplayed, as the top-three lines of Carolina all had xgoal percentages of 72 or more (that’s very good) while also winning the Fenwick percent by 60 or greater. In short, the top-nine Carolina forwards dominated play and created more quality chances. The Canes are sneaky deep up front and have such a good blend of talent, physicality and experience in their top-nine forward group.
Nashville goalie Juuse Saros failed to keep his team in the game late on Monday and now falls to 1-4 SU in his five career postseason starts. Over those five matches, he has a sub-.900 save percentage with a 3.39 goals against average. Saros had a great 2021 but he’s going to have to play a lot better to knock off this severely underrated Hurricanes team.
We’re well aware of recency bias but this game is more than that. Nashville had just 1.1 expected goals at even strength, per Money Puck and looked as outmatched as St. Louis did — without the goaltending.
We have no problem banging the Canes in game two and are willing to take them in regulation to get a better price.
PREDICTION: Hurricanes 3-way ML (-105)
Over/Under pick
A few soft goals helped us hit the Over in game one, but with so few high-danger chances on both ends, we aren’t as high on the Over this Wednesday.
Combined, both teams had just 2.99 expected goals at even strength and neither power play could seal the deal, with both clubs going a combined 0 for 13 on the PP. Even with all the extra-attacker time, a total of 17 medium- and high-danger shot attempts were registered out of a total of 85 shot attempts.
A big reason for the visitors going 0 for 6 with the man advantage and gaining just 0.31 expected goals is the Canes’ PK. Only the Golden Knights and Bruins finished the year with a better penalty-killing unit than Carolina, who were killing nearly 90 percent of its penalties over the last month of the season.
Carolina rookie goalie Alex Nedeljkovic — who will likely finish second in the Calder — was sensational all year and posted a 1.90 GAA. Monday was his first taste of NHL playoff hockey and he did what he needed to get the win, however, a better performance could be in store for Wednesday. With Nashville generating few quality chances, we wouldn’t be surprised if the rookie goalie shut the door, as he allowed just five goals in three starts against the Preds in his three regular season starts versus Nashville.
Some books opened this game at 5 but most books opened at 5.5. Shop around for this total, as it can be had at -135 while other books are pricing the Under at -145 as of Tuesday night.
PREDICTION: Under 5.5 (-135)
Predators vs Hurricanes betting card
- Hurricanes 3-way ML (-105)
- Under 5.5 (-135)
Picks made on 5/18/2021 at 6:40 p.m. ET
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