Welcome to the latest edition of NHL Predictions. Every day, the Last Word on Hockey team digs into upcoming games to provide analysis on the matchups and take a look at what elements can change the game. Today, we will be diving deep into the Carolina Hurricanes final stop on their western road trip – the Vancouver Canucks. Be sure to check in with more NHL Predictions as the season moves on.
NHL Predictions
Carolina Hurricanes at Vancouver Canucks
Time: 10:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South, Sportsnet, ESPN+
The Vancouver Canucks will be up against the Carolina Hurricanes for the first of only two scheduled games this season and the only one they will be hosting. Both teams are on a winning streak of three or more games with some key players crushing it to propel their team forward.
The Canucks Story
Starting off this bit of NHL Predictions, let’s begin with the Canucks.
Any Canucks fan can tell you that this is certainly not the worst the team has done at this point in the season in recent years. Since the season began, they have only had one loss in regulation, giving them a solid 10 points in seven games played.
In the previous game, Tyler Myers’ celebrated his 1000th NHL game with a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the match, the Canucks recorded an incredible comeback from a two-goal deficit. Elias Pettersson, Kiefer Sherwood, and J.T. Miller all scored in the span of just 1:05. However, the game-winning goal went to rookie left wing Arshdeep Bains, the first of his NHL Career.
The Hurricanes Story
The Hurricanes have been rolling thunder on the road. In just the past three games, they won against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, they defeated in regulation the Calgary Flames who had at the time been undefeated in such, and they took the win against the Seattle Kraken who has been having their best season start so far.
In their last game, they spent a lot of time in the Kraken’s zone, demonstrating strong puck possession against a team that has shown great offensive capabilities this season. Starting off on scoring was Andrei Svechnikov less than five minutes into the first period. It was followed by the eventual game-winning goal by Jack Drury, a tip-in from Jackson Blake’s assist – the rookie right-winger’s first in the NHL. In the third period, Jared McCann launched the puck into the net, but it was only five minutes before Seth Jarvis answered with a sneaky backhand shot past Joey Daccord on a breakaway. The night was then finished with an empty net goal from defenceman Dmitry Orlov. The Canes defence has been on-point and sharp as ever with new additions added in the off-season meshing with the veteran blueliners.
Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes at Vancouver Canucks
The Hurricanes tandem of goaltenders has played a rather big part in the early season, ensuring both ice time and rest to help give the team the best chance between the pipes. The usual pattern is that a goalie will play every other game, so if they are to stick with that, we will likely be seeing Pyotr Kochetkov in the crease.
As for the Vancouver Canucks, Kevin Lankinen has played every game for almost two weeks straight and has been putting up very impressive numbers. It is to be assumed that Lanky will continue to be the man for the job in this game. Both of these teams have been playing well this season, ranking above the league average per Hockey References Team Statistics, but numbers only tell half the story. Both of these teams have strong momentum and a hunger to win. While a loss won’t be pushing a divisional rival ahead, a win here will further build said momentum.
Prediction: Hurricanes win 5-3
Prop Bets of the Night
Bet365 has this game sitting at an over/under of 6.0 goals, with over being the favourite. For anytime goalscorers, I would wager that we may see some potentially unexpected players on the board. For the Vancouver Canucks, I’m leaning toward Conor Garland at +280. As for the Carolina Hurricanes, Jackson Blake at +500. Both of these right-wingers bring some grit and slipperiness to their respective lines, and I would consider it a good possibility that one or both of these could find the back of the net in the upcoming game.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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