Game four between Central division mates Carolina and Detroit is Sunday and as the NHL lines indicate this should be another win for the Hurricanes. Detroit sprung an upset over Carolina in their second meeting, but the Canes have outscored them 10-6 overall.
I’m backing Carolina here, winners of seven straight. This should be a straightforward win as arguably the NHL’s best team and one of the best sportsbook bets this season takes on the perpetually lottery-destined Detroit.
Hurricanes vs Red Wings Betting Preview
Hurricanes: Best Team Outside Tampa
It’s been a storm season for Carolina, which boasts a record outside games against the Stanley Cup champs of 19-3-1 with a goal differential of +28.
It speaks volumes to how good this team has been when they have journeyman James Reimer as their No. 1 goalie. The emergence of Alex Nedeljkovic has helped keep their play in net solid.
The “rookie” is in his fourth NHL season but has never played more than four games. He’s posting a 93.3 scoring chance save percent and a +4.8 goals saved above average. If he keeps it up, he could just get shoehorned into the Calder picture.
Carolina has thoroughly outplayed opponents on 5-on-5, with the exception of Tampa. They are also crushing the power play lately and lead the league at 32.2%. They’ve scored on 12 of their 25 opportunities during their seven-game win streak. Hot damn!
Red Wings: Optimism
Detroit is still the worst team in the NHL, but it is getting better. The Wings are 4-4-1 in their last nine and have wins over Florida, Chicago, and Tampa. They’ve only been outscored by six goals during this span and bumped their PP to 22.7%, more than double what they’re averaging for the season.
Jonathan Bernier has been playing well in net posting a 4-3-0 record with a 92 save percent. He’s been great during 5-on-5, but he falters with a man disadvantage just like the entire team.
The Wings have plenty of work to do as their 70.7 penalty kill percent is third-worst in the NHL. They’ve surrendered a power-play goal in 10 of their last 11 games. To their credit, they’ve only allowed more than one PP goal in one of those contests.
In a different division, the Wings might actually be better. But they’re going against three monsters, the Stanley Cup runner-up, and a rising team. Still, the fact they’re getting more competitive shows this team is still out there battling.
Betting Pick
It’s tough finding value in any NHL team that’s over 2-1 as a favorite. But take Carolina and throw them in a parlay or book them on the puck line. I like Detroit and I think they’re a lot better than their record or the online betting odds indicate. But not against Carolina. Not now.
As we’ve covered, Detroit’s main weakness is Carolina’s greatest strength. The Canes are unstoppable with a man advantage and Detroit can’t avoid getting scored on the PK. Detroit is averaging at least four minor penalties in their last four while the Canes are getting on the PP between three to four times during their winning streak.
Carolina has scored on three of their ten PP’s against Detroit and the trend should continue. But with most of the game played 5-on-5, the Canes should still outplay Detroit. They’re averaging nearly 60 percent in both corsi for percent (CF%) and expected goals for percent (xGF%). Carolina storms through here.
