Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights Odds
| Hurricanes Odds | -108 |
| Golden Knights Odds | -111 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 +108o / -132u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, February 17 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Carolina earned a 6-3 victory over Vegas on Dec. 19, but there are reasons to believe that Saturday's game might yield a different result. Let's discuss that by previewing the upcoming contest and offering a Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights prediction.
Carolina Hurricanes
Whether the Golden Knights should be regarded as the favorites or not Saturday, it's important to first emphasize that the Hurricanes are an amazing team in their own right. Carolina hasn't achieved a 30-17-5 record by accident.
The Hurricanes have the NHL's best defense with an xGA/60 of 2.64 before Friday's action. That's compensated for some mediocre goaltending, resulting in the Hurricanes tying for 11th in goals allowed per game (2.88) despite having the 31st-ranked team save percentage (.890).
Spencer Martin, who is projected to start because Pyotr Kochetkov got the nod Friday, is particularly underwhelming with his 3.52 GAA and .889 save percentage in 14 contests between Columbus and Carolina this season. But that high GAA needs to be taken with a grain of salt given 13 of those games were with the Blue Jackets, who are among the worst teams for xGA/60 (3.5). The Hurricanes blue-liners should at least be able to take some of the pressure off Martin.
That stellar defense isn't what led to their victory over Vegas, but it doesn't always need to be. Carolina combines its defense with a strong and varied offense. Sebastian Aho is a solid lead for the Hurricanes' forward corps, scoring 19 goals and 57 points through his first 49 games this year, but he hasn't had to do it alone. Seven different players have reached double digits in goals and 11 have provided at least eight markers.
That's resulted in different players being the hero on different nights. For example, Michael Bunting places just fifth in the team's scoring race, but he came up clutch against Vegas, providing a goal and two assists that night.
The only problem is Carolina will be tired while playing in its second road game in as many days.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Hurricanes might not have their best game under the circumstances, but Vegas won't be at 100% either. Unlike the Hurricanes, who can attribute their projected hardships Saturday to the schedule, the Golden Knights' problem is injuries, with Jack Eichel (knee) and Shea Theodore (upper body) being two noteworthy absences. One player who should be available, though, is goaltender Adin Hill.
Logan Thompson and Jiri Patera were Vegas' netminders in the loss to Carolina, but Hill has been far better this campaign, posting a 14-3-2 record, 2.00 GAA and .933 save percentage in 20 contests. Hill will give the Golden Knights a strong chance to win even if he doesn't end up receiving much goal support.
While the Golden Knights' attack would be in a better position with Eichel and Theodore, the team isn't hurting for alternatives, which they've shown by scoring 3.36 goals per game over 11 contests since Eichel got hurt to rank ninth offensively in that span.
In particular, Jonathan Marchessault has come up huge during Eichel's absence, providing an incredible 10 goals and 14 points across his past 14 contests. Nicolas Roy is also red hot, taking a seven-game scoring streak (three goals, 11 points) into tonight's action. Meanwhile, Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson have each averaged at least one point per game over Vegas' past 11 outings.
As good as Carolina's defense is, it will be difficult to slow down that many major threats.
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Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Hurricanes are a mediocre 13-11-1 on the road compared to 17-6-4 in Carolina. However, just as important a factor is the Golden Knights' dominant 19-6-2 home record.
The home-ice advantage coupled with the Hurricanes playing in the second half of a back-to-back makes me feel comfortable giving Vegas the edge in a game that might otherwise be an even match.
Pick: Golden Knights -122 (Play to -135)
