Chicago Blackhawks vs. Carolina Hurricanes Betting Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks will head to Carolina to take on the Hurricanes in this cross-conference matchup. The puck drop for this game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. eastern from the PNC Arena.
Without going into a ton of details, let’s just say it has been a terrible week to be a Blackhawks fan. The cherry on top of the whole situation is the fact that the current team is now 0-5-2. Carolina is going the polar opposite, off to one of the best starts in franchise history at 6-0.
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Betting Odds & Lines
BetUs has the Carolina Hurricanes as a massive favorite with a moneyline at -190. They have the Blackhawks moneyline at +165.
Over at BetOnline, they also have the Hurricanes as the moneyline favorite at -168. Both sportsbooks have the goal total of six.
Distractions Needed In Chicago
It has been a horrible week for the Chicago Blackhawks in all departments. There has been one of the biggest scandals in men’s professional sports released this week, and it all ties to the Blackhawks on all levels of play. While it is unknown, so far, if any of the current players are involved in what happened in 2010, the guys on the team have to be happy to get out of Chicago for a while.
The Blackhawks have struggled in every department. They are in the bottom five of goals scored per game, averaging just two, while also being in last in the NHL in goals against, giving up four goals per game. Defenseman Seth Jones, in his first year with the Blackhawks, has assisted on six goals this season to give him the top spot for total points on the team.
Is Carolina the Best Team in Hockey?
From game one this season, Carolina has dominated every opponent they have played. Of their six wins, only one game was decided by a single goal, with all the others by two or more. Carolina is currently fifth in goals scored per game, scoring 4.17 per. They are also a top team in power-play goals, scoring on almost 30% of their opportunities.
Andrei Svechnikov is currently leading the team in points with 10. He has been able to score six goals and assist on four others to get to his 10 points. Sebastian Aho is right behind him with eight points, scoring four goals and assisting on four others. The Hurricanes have 13 other players who have recorded multiple points to start the season.
Goaltender Matchup
The Blackhawks have given starts to both Marc-Andre Fleury and Kevin Lankinen, neither of which have been very good to start the year. Fleury is 0-4 with a 5.75 goals-against average. Lankinen is 0-3 with a 2.91 goals-against average.
Frederik Andersen for the Hurricanes has been great in goal. He is off to a 6-0 start and giving up just 1.33 goals per game. While it would be easy to assume he has played an easy schedule, Andersen has beaten teams like the Bruins and the Maple Leafs to acquire these amazing numbers.
The Picks
Chicago has so much going on, with media coverage at this point, that it is safe to assume it is becoming a major distraction. While the players may be doing their best to try and stay out of it, it’s almost impossible to not see the things that are being said about their organization.
You couple the distractions with playing one of the best teams in hockey; this should be a pretty easy day at the office for the Hurricanes.
When making your NHL picks, take Carolina Hurricanes Moneyline.
