Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction 3/18/26 NHL Picks Today
Pittsburgh Penguins (34-18-15) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (42-19-6)
March 18, 2026 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Carolina Hurricanes -162 / Pittsburgh Penguins +136; Over/Under: 6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes meet Wednesday in NHL action from the Lenovo Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to add on to their 7-2 win over Colorado from their last game to sit at 34-18-15 this season. After this game, Pittsburgh will head home for a game against Winnipeg.
Penguins Win Back-To-Back Games
Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh in scoring with 59 points including a team-high 27 goals and 32 assists while Evgeni Malkin has 50 points with 15 goals and 35 assists. Anthony Mantha has 52 points with 26 goals and 26 assists. Erik Karlsson has 42 assists while Bryan Rust has 53 points with 25 goals and 28 assists. Arturs Silovs has gone 15-9-8 with a 2.90 GAA and an .895 save percentage in goal for the Penguins so far this season while Stuart Skinner is 9-5-4 with a 2.72 GAA and an .892 save percentage this year. Sergei Murashov is 1-1-2 with a 2.56 GAA and an .897 save percentage in goal for Pittsburgh this season.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Penguins have won each of their last nine games following a road win.
- The Hurricanes have lost three of their last four games as favorites.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in each of their last 10 games as an underdog when playing with a rest advantage.
- The Hurricanes have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six home games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Yegor Chinakhov has scored a goal in each of the Penguins’ last four games against opponents who are playing on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- Sidney Crosby has recorded at least one assist in each of his last six appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Anthony Mantha has scored three goals against the Hurricanes this season – equal-most against any opponent.
Carolina Hurricanes Recap
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game looking to bounce back from their 5-1 loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets last time out to sit at 42-19-6 this season. After this game, Carolina will head on the road for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hurricanes Alternate Wins & Losses In 6 Straight
Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 68 points including 24 goals and 44 assists while Seth Jarvis has 53 points with a team-high 28 goals. Jackson Blake’s added 40 points with 19 goals and 21 assists while Logan Stankoven has 30 points with 12 goals and 18 assists and Nikolaj Ehlers has 53 points with 20 goals and 33 assists of his own this season. Taylor Hall has also chipped in 36 points with 14 goals and 22 assists. Shayne Gostisbehere has 43 points with 32 assists and Andrei Svechnikov has 59 points with 25 goals and 34 assists. In goal for Carolina, Frederik Andersen has gone 11-11-5 with a 3.14 GAA and an .873 save percentage while Brandon Bussi is 25-6-1 with a 2.45 GAA and an .896 save percentage this season. Pyotr Kochetkov is also 6-2 with a 2.33 GAA and an .899 save percentage as well this season.
Why the Carolina Hurricanes will win
- The Hurricanes have won each of their last nine home games against the Penguins.
- The Penguins have lost each of their last four night games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Hurricanes have covered the puck line in four of their last five games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in three of their last four games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Carolina Hurricanes Player Prop Facts
- Seth Jarvis has scored at least one goal in four of the Hurricanes’ last five home games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Sebastian Aho has recorded at least one assist in each of his last seven home appearances against the Penguins.
- Mark Jankowski has scored two goals against the Penguins this season – most against any opponent.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Penguins’ last six games have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Each of the Hurricanes’ last six home games against opponents on a winning streak have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Each of the last three games between two teams from the Metropolitan Division have gone UNDER the total goals line.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes Prediction
I’m on the Hurricanes here. I’m still not sold on this run that Pittsburgh’s on and while blowing out Colorado is impressive, I still think the Hurricanes are the far better team here and are at home where they’ve been at their best for a long time and I think they defend home ice here. Give me Carolina.