Thursday’s NHL slate treats us to a matchup between two of the hottest teams in the league. Combined, the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes have won 10 of their first 13 games. Is this a potential Stanley Cup Final preview? Who knows just yet, but there sure is a lot of talent on display here.
For Thursday’s game, the Avalanche have the edge at -130 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Hurricanes are listed at +110. The total is set at 5.5 goals. Let’s get into a preview, prediction, and pick for this matchup.
Hurricanes vs. Avalanche preview, prediction
Carolina has been nothing short of elite since head coach Rod Brind’Amour arrived in 2018. They’ve made the playoffs in every season since, but have been unable to get over the hump. Last year was their third defeat in the Eastern Conference Final, making you wonder if they can ever lift a trophy with this group. But they’ve put forth another strong start this season will be in the mix yet again, barring disaster. A continued breakout from Seth Jarvis sure boosts their chances.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche looked poised to contend for another Stanley Cup. They’ve won five of their first seven games, suffering two overtime losses to pull points from all seven contests. So far, they have the best defense in the league, conceding only 13 goals. They’re also getting a massive performance from Martin Necas, who has five goals and six assists in their seven games.
With perennial Hart and Norris Trophy candidates in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, respectively, they’re as good a bet as any to make a deep run this season.
Hurricanes vs. Avalanche pick, best bet
It’s hard to ignore the quality of these two defenses. Colorado is tops in the league, and the Hurricanes are close behind with 15 goals allowed through six games. Yes, there is a lot of scoring talent on both sides, but these teams are going to buckle down and keep the scoring to a minimum. This one may come down to who gets the friendliest bounces.
