Hurricanes vs. Penguins NHL Predictions, Picks and Odds - March 18

The Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins -- the former coming off a defeat, the latter a victory -- will play on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. The sportsbooks have made the Hurricanes solid favorites at -135 on the moneyline, and the Penguins are at +114.

Carolina's most recent game was a 5-1 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 17. The Hurricanes got one point apiece out of three players, including Nikolaj Ehlers (one assist) and Alexander Nikishin (one assist).

Pittsburgh won its most recent game 7-2 on the road over the Colorado Avalanche on March 16. Erik Karlsson (one goal and two assists) and Evgeni Malkin (two goals and one assist) both had three points for the Penguins in that matchup.

Ahead of this matchup, here's who we expect to take home the victory in Wednesday's hockey contest.

Hurricanes vs. Penguins Predictions & Pick

For predictions on the upcoming game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins, computer-derived moneyline, over/under, and score predictions are below, per Dunkel Index.

• Prediction: Hurricanes 4 - Penguins 3
• Pick OU: Over 6.5 (Dunkel projecting 7.10 goals)
  

Pick with the best in the business! Get free picks for every game, every week at the Dunkel Index.

Hurricanes vs. Penguins Moneylines

Snag a peek below at the latest moneylines for the Hurricanes-Penguins game.

• Favorite: Hurricanes (-135)
• Underdog: Penguins (+114)

Hurricanes Betting Insights

• The Hurricanes have gone 39-21 this season when favored on the moneyline.
• In games it has played with moneyline odds of -135 or shorter, Carolina is 35-18 (winning 66.0% of the time).
• Based on this matchup's moneyline, the Hurricanes have an implied probability of 57.4% to win.
• Carolina's 67 matches this season have finished above this game's total of 6.5 goals 35 times.

Penguins Betting Insights

• This season the Penguins have been an underdog 38 times, and won 19, or 50.0%, of those games.
• Pittsburgh has entered 27 games this season as the underdog by +114 or more and is 13-14 in those contests.
• Sportsbooks have implied, given the moneyline set for this matchup, that the Penguins have a 46.7% chance to win.
• Pittsburgh has combined with its opponent to score over 6.5 goals in 35 of 67 games this season.

Hurricanes Key Stats

• Carolina's 230 total goals (3.4 per game) make it the seventh-highest scoring team in the NHL.
• Defensively, the Hurricanes have been one of the stingiest squads in NHL action, conceding 194 total goals (2.9 per game) to rank sixth.
• Its goal differential (+36) makes the team fourth-best in the league.
• The 44 power-play goals the Hurricanes have scored this season (on 201 power-play chances) rank 11th in the NHL.
• Carolina has the league's 13th-ranked power-play conversion rate (21.89%).
• The Hurricanes have scored six shorthanded goals this season (10th among NHL teams).
• Carolina kills 79.47% of opponent power plays, the 14th-ranked penalty-kill percentage in the league.
• Carolina wins 50.3% of its faceoffs (16th in NHL).
• The Hurricanes shoot 10.7% as a team (20th in the league).

Penguins Key Stats

• With 229 goals (3.4 per game), Pittsburgh has the NHL's eighth-best offense.
• The Penguins have one of the top defenses in the NHL, allowing 194 total goals (2.9 per game), sixth in the NHL.
• With a goal differential of +35, the team is fifth-best in the league in that category.
• With 48 power-play goals (on 191 chances), the Penguins are sixth-best in the NHL.
• Pittsburgh's power-play percentage (25.13) puts the team third in the league.
• The Penguins have five shorthanded goals (13th in league).
• Pittsburgh's penalty-kill rate is 84.5%, tops in the league.
• Pittsburgh wins 48.5% of faceoffs, 23rd-ranked in the NHL.
• The Penguins' 11.9% shooting percentage is seventh in the league.