The Anaheim Ducks will play the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Anaheim has lost five of their last six games, while Carolina has won five of their last six. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Ducks vs Hurricanes prediction.
Ducks Preview
The Anaheim Ducks are 14-25-1 this year after they defeated Nashville by a score of 5-3 in their last game. Anaheim scored the first five goals in this game, but did allow three goals in the third in the win. The Ducks were out shot by a total of 42-33 and went 1-3 on the power play in the game. Anaheim had lost their previous five games against Detroit, Winnipeg, Toronto, Edmonton, and Arizona. The Ducks are scoring 2.53 goals per game and they are allowing 3.33 goals against per game, while going 19.2% on the power play and 80% on the penalty kill. Frank Vatrano has led Anaheim with 19 goals, 10 assists, and 139 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Anaheim is John Gibson, who is 7-16-0 this season with a 2.97 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.
Hurricanes Preview
The Carolina Hurricanes are 22-13-5 this season after they lost to St. Louis by a score of 2-1 in their last game. Carolina tied the game at one in the first period, but couldn’t find the back of the net for the rest of the game in the shootout loss. The Hurricanes out shot St. Louis by a total of 30-22 and went 1-1 on the power play in the game. Carolina had won their previous five games against Washington, New York, Toronto, Montreal, and Nashville. The Hurricanes are scoring 3.40 goals per game and they are allowing 2.98 goals against per game, while going 28.7% on the power play and 82.8% on the penalty kill. Sebastian Aho has led Carolina with 15 goals, 31 assists, and 108 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Carolina is Pyotr Kochetkov, who is 11-7-3 this year with a 2.50 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the last three games between the Ducks and Hurricanes.
- The Hurricanes have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last four games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
- The home team has won the first period in three of the last four games between the Ducks and Hurricanes.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in nine of the Hurricanes’ last 10 games as favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
Anaheim Ducks Team Facts
- The underdogs have won four of the Ducks’ last five games at PNC Arena.
- The Ducks have covered the puck line in six of their last seven games at PNC Arena.
- The Ducks have lost the third period in four of their last five games as underdogs.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 19 of the Ducks’ last 20 games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Carolina Hurricanes Player Prop Facts
- Andrei Svechnikov has recorded two or more points in six of the Hurricanes’ last seven games.
- Sebastian Aho has recorded at least one assist in each of the Hurricanes’ last four games against Pacific Division opponents at PNC Arena.
- Jaccob Slavin has the most Shorthanded Goals for the Hurricanes this season (2).
Anaheim Ducks Player Prop Facts
- Alex Killorn has scored a goal in three of his last four appearances in night games at PNC Arena.
- Troy Terry has recorded a point in each of his six previous appearances with the Ducks as underdogs against the Hurricanes.
- Cam Fowler has recorded an assist in each of the Ducks’ last three games as underdogs against the Hurricanes.
- Frank Vatrano has the most Shorthanded Goals for the Ducks this season (2).
Matchup/League Facts
- The Carolina Hurricanes rank 1st in the league for shots against per game this season (25.6).
- The Carolina Hurricanes rank 1st in the league for power play goals this season (39).
- The Anaheim Ducks rank 32nd in the league for Period 2 goals scored per game this season (0.60).
- The Anaheim Ducks are one of only two teams to win 3+ games when trailing after Period 2 this season.
Ducks vs Hurricanes Betting Prediction
Anaheim comes into this game after snapping their losing streak in their last game, but they have struggled to score goals lately. The Ducks have scored two goals or fewer in four of their last five games, while Carolina has scored at least five goals in three of their last five contests. Carolina is coming off of a loss, but they are 10-3-4 at home so far this season. The Hurricanes are one of the better teams in the NHL and I expect them to get the win here. Take Carolina -1.5 in this game.