LiontipsCarolina vs. Pittsburgh. NHL match prediction and bets
Command Analysis
Current form
Carolina didn't take long to get going and quickly gained points throughout October. The team from Raleigh is in second place in the conference, but is actually the leader of the East. Rod Brin'Damore men have earned 18 points in 11 games and lost only two games this fall. The hosts are currently on a seven-game winning streak and it seems that they are not going to slow down. After a long road trip, the Hurricanes returned home and have been making no mistakes so far. In November, Jordan Staal team beat Boston (8:2), Washington (4:2) and Philadelphia (6:4), showing excellent offensive play. The game against the Flyers was not the easiest for the Hurricanes. They were losing at the start of the first period, but scored three goals by the equator of the match and brought the matter to a positive result for themselves.
The hosts, as we said earlier, have been making great use of their chances in recent games. Carolina has scored at least three goals in six games, scoring 4.09 goals on average. Martin Necas remains the leader of the Canes on the opponent half of the court. The Czech forward has scored 20 points (7+13) in the goal+pass system and is sixth on the list of the league best scorers.
Petr Kochetkov is getting more and more playing time and often starts lately. The Russian has only saved 87.82% of the shots on his goal and has not made a single shutout, but the Hurricanes coach continues to trust him.
Disqualifications and injuries
Jesper Fasth and Frederik Andersen will not play against Pittsburgh on Friday.
Interesting trends for betting
- Carolina is averaging more than 35 shots per game.
The hosts take a huge number of shots in each of their matches and convert 11.4% of their chances.
- The Hurricanes are winning 48.7 percent of their faceoffs this fall.
The hosts try to be better than their opponents in all aspects of the game, including on the spot.
Current form
Pittsburgh can’t get out of the basement of the Eastern Conference standings and is gradually sinking among the conference outsiders. The team from Pennsylvania was able to score only 12 points in 14 starts, while it played more than other competitors and will probably fall below the current 12th place. Sidney Crosby and partners started off quite well in October, but now the Penguins have only two wins in nine previous meetings. The Penguins were able to break their losing streak only in the last home series. After a misfire in the match against Minnesota, they barely beat Anaheim (2:1, OT) and Montreal (3:1). At the start of the away tour, the Petes had an excellent opportunity to score points in New York, but they squandered a two-goal advantage and lost to the Islanders (3:4, OT).
The main problem for the visitors is their weak defense. Pittsburgh allows 3.86 goals per game on average and is the worst team in the East in this indicator. Alex Nedeljkovic is still not fully in shape after an injury he received in the preseason, and Tristan Jarry has completely lost his place in the Pens' starting lineup.
The Penguins' offense still relies mostly on the franchise veterans. Sidney Crosby scored (6+9), while Evgeni Malkin surpassed his captain in the last game and contributed to 16 goals for the Penguins (4+12). Mike Sullivan charges clearly lack young blood. It hard to imagine what will happen to the team if the leaders get injured.
Disqualifications and injuries
Matt Nieto and Bryan Rust won't be helping their team in Raleigh.
Interesting trends for betting
- Pittsburgh takes 31 shots on goal per game
The visitors put a lot of pressure on the opponents' goal and often shoot at the goal.
- Penguins' opponents make 20 hits against visitors
Every team in the league knows that Mike Sullivan men can't be given much space.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total under 1.5 goals
In seven of the previous eight games involving the "pits", the first period was low-scoring
2.10Bet 2nd period: Carolina will score
The hosts have scored in the second period for six matches in a row
1.30Tip and bets
We think that Carolina winning streak will continue this Friday. The hosts are close to topping the Eastern Conference standings and have been playing very well in every game. On the other side will be Pittsburgh, which is in dire need of a total overhaul. The team lacks young talent, and winning with only Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is no longer possible. Mike Sullivan has not yet been able to solve his defensive problems, so it is unlikely that the visitors will be able to earn points in Raleigh. In our opinion, the Hurricanes will win within regulation time.
Our prediction is Carolina victory at 1.63
Bet on individual total
The teams recently met each other in Pennsylvania, and then the "Pits" were able to hit the gates of "Carolina" only once. The "Hurricanes" allow only 2.45 goals per game on average, so it will be very difficult for the "Penguins" to score a lot. We do not think that Pittsburgh will dictate its terms and dominate the opponent on the road. Let play a bet on the individual total under the second team.
Bet on total
The matches between the rivals in recent years have been very sticky and not very productive. Two weeks ago, only five goals were scored in this pair. These teams have not scored more than six goals between them in 11 games. It is unlikely that this time anything will change much. Let take a bet on the total under.
Forecast - total under 6.5 goals for 1.60
