Could this be the year of the Carolina Hurricanes? Carolina has been knocking at the Stanley Cup door since 2019 with strong regular seasons followed by playoff disappointment. Including last season, Carolina has reached the Eastern Conference Final three times. But they have not advanced, a problem it has faced throughout this strong run of success.
The Hurricanes have never quite had a true finishing scorer. Although that appears to be the case again with the NHL Betting Lines, the Hurricanes do have quality scoring depth. Carolina is in a tight race with the Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Montreal Canadiens for the Eastern Conference lead.
Meanwhile, the Western Conference continues to be dominated by the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado leads the 2nd-place Dallas Stars by 11 points and the Minnesota Wild by 13 points. Minnesota is another team that consistently makes the playoffs (11 of the past 13 seasons), only to fail when it matters most. In turn, the Wild have not won a playoff series since 2015.
Vegas Golden Knights
The not-so Golden Knights hold the 4th playoff position in the Western Conference, seven points behind the Minnesota Wild. For most teams, that would be considered a promising season, full of excitement. But for Vegas. The year has been underwhelming so far.
Vegas is 25-13-12 and 27-20 over the sports betting total. The Golden Knights have been visiting the payout window a lot more often with eight wins in their last ten games. Late on, Vegas went over the total in four of the last five matchups.
The problem for Vegas has been substandard goaltending. Adin Hill, who recently returned from three months on the injured reserve list, has not played well in his eight games this season. So far, Hill has a 3.01 goals against average with a .871 save percentage. Reclamation project Carter Hart has a .879 save percentage and a 3.28 goals against average in 12 games. In turn, Hart has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury on January 8. Akira Schmid has played the most games (26), posting a 2.51 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.
Vegas has been propped up on the other end of the ice, ranking 6th in goal scoring and 4th on the power play. Most important of all, Vegas has tremendous forward depth.
To show, Jack Eichel leads the Golden Knights with 19 goals, 42 assists, 61 points, and a +14. Mark Stone adds 20 goals, 32 assists, 52 points, and a +14. Mitch Marner, the big offseason get from the Toronto Maple Leafs, brings 12 goals, 40 assists, 52 points, and a +10. Tomas Hertl has 21 goals, 23 assists, 44 points, and a -3. Pavel Dorofeyev has contributed 22 goals, 16 assists, 38 points, and a -8. Finally, Ivan Barbashev has scored 12 goals, recorded 23 assists, and totaled 35 points with a +9 rating.
As the adage goes, “Show me a good goaltender, and I’ll show you a good team and coach.” The Golden Knights and head coach Bruce Cassidy are trying to defy that ancient wisdom.
On January 27, the Golden Knights have a road game with the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. ET. Next is a 2-game home stand starting with the Dallas Stars on January 29 at 10 p.m. ET. The Seattle Kraken visit Sin City on January 31 at 10 p.m. ET. On February 1, the Golden Knights hit the road to face the Anaheim Ducks at 9:30 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina leads the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-15-5 and 27-24 over the NHL Betting Odds total. Carolina got the cash in four of its last five games. Three of their last four matchups went under the total. Carolina ranks 4th for goal scoring and 10th for fewest goals against. Correlate that marquee man Sebastian Aho leads Carolina with 17 goals, 35 assists, 52 points, and a +6.
On January 29, the Hurricanes host the Utah Mammoth at 7 p.m. ET after four days off. Next is a January 31 road game against the Washington Capitals at 5 p.m. ET. On February 1, the Canes host the Los Angeles Kings at 3 p.m. ET.