Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction: Who will turn out to be stronger?

Prediction for the NHL match which will take place on November 19. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

In recent years, Carolina has persistently been among the top contenders for the Stanley Cup. It's no surprise, as Rod Brindamore has assembled a capable team that initially lacked cup experience. Still, the Hurricanes make the playoffs every year, so they can already be considered the big boys. At the same time, their debut in the regular season wasn't so productive: they suffered four defeats in their opening seven games. However, things gradually improved, and in the next nine games, they picked up six wins and three losses, climbing to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.

Before this season's start, Pittsburgh was among the main outsiders in the league. The main reason is the age of key players, which has already approached the age limit. At the same time, the league is becoming more athletic and fast-paced every year, so it's hard for the Pennsylvania veterans to keep up this pace. The debut of the current regular season only confirmed it, as in the nine starting meetings, they allowed six defeats in regulation time with three wins. Only then did the Penguins suddenly beat San Jose 10:2 and then win four more in a row. Such a brisk stretch allowed the Black-and-Yellow to move closer to the playoff zone in the Eastern Conference.

Carolina and Pittsburgh are not far from each other in the Eastern Conference standings, although the rivals' ambition level this season is seriously different. While the Hurricanes are Stanley Cup contenders, it would take a miracle for the Penguins to make the playoffs. This fact alone makes the Red-Black favorites of the upcoming confrontation. In addition, the statistics of head-to-head meetings are also in favor of the team, according to which they have lost in the last four consecutive meetings.

The confrontation between Carolina and Pittsburgh is very poor in goal-scoring activity. In six previous head-to-head meetings, the Hurricanes and Penguins have combined for just 28 goals (4.67 average per game). In addition, it is worth noting that the team from Raleigh is especially reliable in defense plays at home walls, where only twice in the last ten official meetings conceded more than two pucks.