by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Jan 14, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Where to watch: BSSO, ATTSN-PT
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Hurricanes -175, Penguins +150
FanDuel: Hurricanes -184, Penguins +152
BetMGM: Hurricanes -165, Penguins +140
Caesars: Hurricanes -179, Penguins +150
Season record
Penguins: 21-14-6
Hurricanes: 26-9-7
We’ve hit the halfway mark in the NHL season. Yes, you read that right. We’re really hit that halfway mark that quickly. If you blinked, you probably missed a lot of good things happen in the hockey world. And with football about to be out of the way, look for our champion handicappers to get back on the rink. Oskeim Sports is on a 13-5-0 run in the NHL over the last 30 days, as is Will Rogers. Sean Murphy has also cashed in with a 16-10-0 run in the last month. Make sure you’re following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to get on this winning action!
Penguins - Hurricanes preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Penguins: lost 4-1 vs. Jets on Friday
Hurricanes: won 6-2 at Blue Jackets on Thursday
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be playing the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, January 14 in Raleigh.
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost against the Winnipeg Jets Friday, January 13 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a score of 4-1. The Pittsburgh Penguins currently rank 5th in the Metropolitan Division. Winnipeg gained a 1-0 lead on a power play 11:19 in the first period. Drew O’Connor tied it 1-1 at 16:42 into the first period. Scoring Pittsburgh only goal of the night.
"I think we just didn't limit their chances tonight," O'Connor said. "I think they had a lot of good looks. I don't really know the exact answer of what we could do different. Will have to look at some film, I think. … It was nice to get one and tie it up there. I think we just have to try to lock it down and get some more after that."
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won three of their last 10 games, which have not put any good lately in their pursuit of a playoff spot. Albeit with three game sin hand on the Washington Capitals, the Penguins are four points behind Washington for the first wild card. Pittsburgh has two games in hand on the New York Islanders, who trail the Penguins by one point for the second wild card.
"I don't think it was [up to] the standard that's been set here by our group," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I know we're capable of a lot more, regardless of who's in our lineup. It just wasn't our best. … It's a challenge. We're missing some guys back there that play heavy minutes for us.
The Carolina Hurricanes won against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Thursday, January 12 in Columbus, Ohio with a score of 6-2. The Carolina Hurricanes currently rank 1st in the Metropolitan Division. Frederik Andersen made 21 saves in his return from injury for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 6-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.
"He was good, made a couple of nice saves, kept us going in the right direction," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said of Andersen. "He's steady. That's what you need, that's the way he plays. He looked like he hadn't missed a beat. I give him a lot of credit.”
"Listen, we were all a little nervous [about] how it was going to go because he hasn't played forever,” Brind’Amor continues on, “[but] good for him to bounce back. We needed it."
Brett Pesce scored twice, Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin each had a goal and assist, and Sebastian Aho and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each had two assists for the Hurricanes.
The Carolina Hurricanes have won six of their last 10 games. They lost their previous four games following an 11-game winning streak.
Prediction
There’s not much to like about the Penguins right now, as has been the constant case all year along. Now that they’re going against one of the top teams in the league, on the second night of a back-to-back after getting punked by Winnipeg, is not a recipe for success. Pittsburgh has dropped six in a row against a team with a winning record, and you’d likely expect that to continue. Hurricanes 5, Penguins 2
Betting trends
Penguins are 95-84 on the road revenging a loss where the opponent scored 4 goals or more since 1996.
Hurricanes are 97-102 at home off a road win since 1996.
Hurricanes are 43-14 after scoring 3 goals or more in 2 straight games the last 2 seasons.
Projected lines
Penguins:
Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker -- Evgeni Malkin -- Rickard Rakell
Drew O'Connor -- Jeff Carter -- Kasperi Kapanen
Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Brock McGinn
Marcus Pettersson -- Jan Rutta
Brian Dumoulin -- Ty Smith
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Chad Ruhwedel
Casey DeSmith
Hurricanes:
Max Pacioretty -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov -- Paul Stastny -- Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- Jesper Fast
Teuvo Teravainen -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Stefan Noesen
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Brady Skjei -- Brett Pesce
Jalen Chatfield -- Dylan Coghlan
Pyotr Kochetkov
Statistical leaders
Penguins:
Points: Sidney Crosby – 48
Goals: Sidney Crosby – 21
Assists: Sidney Crosby – 27
Goalie: Tristan Jarry – 15-5-4, 2.75 GAA, .918 SV%
Hurricanes:
Points: Martin Necas – 39
Goals: Andrei Svechnikov – 19
Assists: Brent Burns – 23
Goalie: Pyotr Kochetkov – 10-4-4, 2.30 GAA, .914 SV%
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Pittsburgh Penguins - Carolina Hurricanes prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
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.
