by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Oct 30, 2021
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Where to watch: ESPN+, Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Arizona
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Hurricanes - 320, Coyotes +250
BetMGM: Hurricanes -303, Coyotes +240
Caesars: Hurricanes -300, Coyotes +240
Season record
Coyotes: 0-7-1
Hurricanes: 7-0-0
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Coyotes - Hurricanes preview and analysis
Recent form
Coyotes: lost 2-0 at Capitals for eighth straight loss
Hurricanes: won 6-3 vs. Blackhawks on Friday for seventh straight win
The Storm Surge runs strong, and the Arizona Coyotes are next in the eye of the storm.
The Coyotes, who have started this season as expected to be the worst team in hockey, will take on one of the last remaining undefeated teams in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carolina has been as good as expected and is the Stanley Cup contender they’ve resembled, but the 'Canes are even better now knowing their only weakness has been resolved. The goaltending has been solidified with Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta with both goalies allowing a total of four goals over the past three starts.
The Hurricanes are coming off a 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Raanta's Carolina debut on Friday night, in which he made 23 saves. Six different Hurricanes scored, including a three-point night from defenseman Tony DeAngelo in only 12:25.
“For myself, it was a lot of emotions,” Raanta said. “It was my first game since my dad passed away this August. So it has been a rough couple of months.”
Andersen got off to a 6-0-0 start in-between the pipes and if you're looking for a very-early favorite for the Vezina Trophy, look no further than the former goalie of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Andersen trails only Calgary's Jacob Markstrom in goals-saved above average while facing 12.5 expected goals against.
The Coyotes would kill to have some sort of goaltending like that. They'd probably kill for 10 percent of the talent the Hurricanes have. Through eight games, Arizona has scored a total of 12 goals and is averaging one goal per game over the last five while still looking for its first win of the season. Offense has come to die in this young NHL season in Arizona.
Remember that time they were supposed to be as bad as the Buffalo Sabres? And now the Sabres are playing well and could trade Jack Eichel soon. Hockey remains weird.
Arizona is coming off a 2-0 loss in Friday’s contest to the Washington Capitals in perhaps the Yotes' second-most competitive game of the season. Young Czech goalie Karel Vejmelka finished with 30 saves in the most promising goalie display this season in Arizona.
“‘Vej’ was rock solid,” first-year Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "He was really solid, and he gave us the hope all the time. We were one shot away and we knew ‘Vej’ would be tough to beat.”
Vejmelka will likely see more action as the days go with Carter Hutton now out for the foreseeable future with a lower-body injury.
Prediction
The Hurricanes don't seem like one of those teams that will let the foot off the gas against teams that they should beat. Arizona got only 16 shots off against Washington's Ilya Samsonov, so against a much more stout defense, this should be an easy win for Carolina. Hurricanes win 4-1
Betting trends
The Coyotes are 61-82 ATS overall in the past three seasons.
After three or more losses, the Coyotes are 7-11 ATS over the past three years.
Carolina is 2-7 ATS after following two consectuive home wins by two goals or more.
Projected lines
Coyotes:
Lawson Crouse -- Barrett Hayton -- Clayton Keller
Dmitrij Jaskin -- Johan Larsson -- Phil Kessel
Christian Fischer -- Antoine Roussel -- Loui Eriksson
Liam O'Brien -- Jay Beagle -- Andrew Ladd
Jakob Chychrun -- Dysin Mayo
Ilya Lyubushkin -- Victor Soderstrom
Shayne Gostisbehere -- Anton Stralman
Karel Vejmelka
Hurricanes:
Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Sebastian Aho -- Teuvo Teravainen
Andrei Svechnikov -- Vincent Trocheck -- Martin Necas
Seth Jarvis -- Jordan Staal -- Jesper Fast
Jordan Martinook -- Derek Stepan -- Steven Lorentz
Jaccob Slavin -- Ethan Bear
Brady Skjei -- Brett Pesce
Ian Cole -- Tony DeAngelo
Antti Raanta
Statistical leaders
Coyotes:
Points: Clayton Keller -- 4
Goals: Clayton Keller -- 3
Assists: Shayne Gostisbehere -- 4
TOI: Jakob Chychrun -- 24:49
Goalie: Carter Hutton -- 0-2-0, 7.76 GAA, .741 SV%
Hurricanes:
Points: Andrei Svechnikov -- 11
Goals: Andrei Svechnikov -- 7
Assists: Four tied -- 6
TOI: Jaccob Slavin -- 22:48
Goalie: Frederik Andersen -- 6-0-0, 1.33 GAA, .956 save percentage
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
