Hurricanes vs. Blackhawks Odds
| Hurricanes Odds | -238 |
| Blackawks Odds | +196 |
| Over/Under | 6 (+100 / -120) |
| Time | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBCSCH |
| Odds via Caesars. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
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Carolina Hurricanes Have Depth in Goal
Losing a starter goaltender of the quality of Frederik Andersen is always going to hurt any team's chances, but the Hurricanes are arguably more equipped to handle such a loss than any other team.
Over the past three seasons, the Hurricanes have proved time and time again to be one of the league's best defensive sides, and that notion clearly shines through with the numbers of each goalie who has played behind the team during that span.
Alex Nedeljkovic put together marvelous numbers as a rookie in Carolina's goal, but he instantly posted significantly worse results once he was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings.
Antti Raanta and Andersen both put together massive bounce-back seasons a year ago, and Raanta's numbers in the Carolina goal become an important talking point now with Andersen sidelined.
Raanta owns a +3.8 goals saved above expected rating and .912 save % throughout 34 career games with the Hurricanes, and he will likely make the start tonight.
The Hurricanes own the league's second-best xGF% at 58.21 this season, and they are clearly going to be a legitimate cup contender yet again this season.
Chicago Blackhawks Getting by on Effort
Chicago has gotten off to a surprisingly strong start considering the quality of the talent rostered, but it does seem that Chicago will regress toward the other lottery-bound teams results-wise moving forward.
Over the last 10 games, Chicago has played to a fifth-worst xGF% of 44.7, and the team owns a -5 goal differential despite receiving surprisingly strong goaltending to this point.
The Blackhawks' expected goal differential of -8.56 is the fourth worst mark in the league, and counting on improvement based on the team's current roster seems unlikely.
To the eye, it's quite clear Chicago is clearly competing hard and playing well as a unit, but the roster weaknesses are capping the ceiling of this roster at roughly what we have seen. Although the underlying numbers suggest even a .500 record is quite favorable.
Petr Mrazek has been confirmed as the Blackhawks starting goaltender for this matchup. Mrazek has played to a -0.5 goals saved above expected rating and .895 save % throughout four games this season.
Hurricanes vs. Blackhawks Pick
Under coach Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina has continually proven to be one of the toughest teams to generate offense against – and a team that consistently controls far more of the overall play.
Carolina's furious forecheck and aggressive neutral zone pressure are unlikely to be handled well by one of the league's worst defensive cores, and it seems very plausible the Hurricanes take advantage of this soft spot after losses in three of their last four.
Carolina projects to win this game by two closer to half the time, and I believe this is a great spot to target one of the NHL's best sides to play at the highest level and make life very tough on a thin Chicago side.
At +115, I like a play on the Hurricanes to cover the puck line, and I would play this down to +110.
Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 +115 (Play to +110)
