Hurricanes vs. Ducks Odds
| Hurricanes Odds | -140 |
| Ducks Odds | +120 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
John Gibson and the Anaheim Ducks have flown to the top of the Pacific Division over an eight-game winning streak, but will be given their toughest test yet from a Carolina team skating arguably the best roster in hockey. Plus, the Hurricanes have the best winning percentage to support that belief.
That said, can Anaheim take a huge step in proving its legitimacy this season in besting an altogether spectacular Carolina squad?
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina's strong showing in Las Vegas against the now healthier Golden Knights goes as another big statement on just how strong this club truly is at the moment.
The Hurricanes put together a sharp effort in front of backup Antti Raanta, who in turn was quite solid en route to stopping 21 of 23 shots in a 4-2 victory in a tough building.
With the departures of Dougie Hamilton, as well as goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic and Petr Mrazek last summer, Carolina did have some questions entering the season after another strong showing last year.
However, even skating without a very underrated defensemen in Brett Pesce, the Hurricanes' defensive core looks tremendous and the loss of Hamilton appears to be very manageable.
Tony DeAngelo continues to put forth excellent results, contributing on the powerplay and driving play at 5-on-5, and both goaltenders have been sharp.
Seth Jarvis, the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft, elevated to the top unit with Sebastien Aho and Andrei Svechnikov affords coach Rod Brind'Amour the luxury of skating a second unit of Teuvo Teravainen, Vincent Trocheck, and Martin Necas, who were dominant in combining for five points and a 97.3 xGF% against Vegas.
However Brind'Amour decides to configure his lines Carolina will be tough to contain again, and with their elite young group looking better than ever, the club should contend for the Presidents Trophy out of a treacherously tough Metropolitan Division (+700 still if your into that sort of thing) this season.
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim's eight-game win streak and ascension to the top of the Pacific has been one of hockey's best stories in the early going, led by a very likable group of rookies and captained by legend Ryan Getzlaf.
Is the future really now for a developing Ducks team, now skating with blue-chip prospects Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish and Jamie Drysdale in the lineup?
I suspect not, and it's not exactly a fun point to make going against a very enjoyable story so far. However, this team has clearly overachieved in the early going. I think we can definitely expect the winning percentage to regress significantly, although a playoff berth in the Pacific is very much in play and would go as a tremendous success for Dallas Eakins' group.
Altogether, the Ducks have beaten some lesser competition during the winning streak, with the teams beaten averaging 22.37 in league standings, with Washington raising that average greatly. Yet, the Capitals ultimately ended up skating one regular center in their latest game.
Altogether the Ducks hold an xGF% of just 48.84 this season, and while John Gibson can certainly make up for some lesser play, I think this team is certainly due for some lesser results going forward.
They will certainly have a good opportunity to start to prove my thinking wrong, but they're hosting a Carolina team that's undisputedly amongst the league's top outfits.
Hurricanes vs. Ducks Pick
Carolina offers a much deeper lineup and I think we will see them control more of the play, plus take some pride in ending the upstart Ducks eight-game run.
Anaheim's results in the early going of this season have this matchup sitting closer than it should odds wise, And simply put, I think Carolina is winning this game more than 50% of the time in regulation, and therefore holds strong value at +110 on the three-way moneyline.
Pick: Carolina To Win in Regulation (+110 | play to -105)
