The Carolina Hurricanes host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. ET at Lenovo Center. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Carolina is a -258 favorite on the Moneyline, while the total is set at O/U 5.5 goals.
Below, I’ll break down the matchup and provide my top Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets prediction and best bet.
Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets Odds
| Market | Columbus Blue Jackets | Carolina Hurricanes |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | +210 | -258 |
| Puck Line | +1.5 (-122) | -1.5 (+102) |
| Total | Over 5.5 (-135) | Under 5.5 (+114) |
Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets Betting Preview
Carolina Hurricanes Outlook
Carolina sits atop the NHL standings at 10-2-2 and has gone 8-1-1 over its past 10 outings. Oddly enough, the Hurricanes have been far better on the road (7-1-1) than in Raleigh (3-1-1), but they come into Thursday off a 2-1 home win over Boston on Tuesday.
The Hurricanes lead the NHL with a 61.6% xGoals share and rank first in 5v5 xGoals share as well at 60.4%. They also own the league’s best Corsi (59.5%) and Fenwick (60.7%), and they lead the NHL with 33.6 shots per game while allowing a league-low 21.9. Sebastian Aho paces the offense with 19 points, and he and Logan Stankoven share the team lead with eight goals apiece. Taylor Hall and Alexander Nikishin are out, and Jordan Staal is on injured reserve.
Pyotr Kochetkov is likely to start in goal, and he has yet to lose a game this season. He is 8-0-0 with a 1.62 GAA, .918 SV% and one shutout, has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his eight starts and ranks eighth in GSAx and ninth in SV% above expected.
Columbus Blue Jackets Outlook
Columbus has won two straight overtime games, a common theme, as four of its five wins this season have come after regulation. That has kept the Blue Jackets at 5-5-0 despite an offense that averages just 2.50 goals per game, the fifth-fewest in the NHL, and a power play that ranks 30th at 11.1%. They’ve also gone just 1-2-0 on the road.
Kent Johnson leads Columbus with six goals and 10 points while skating on the top line with Adam Fantilli and Valeri Nichushkin. Zach Werenski is still looking for his first goal despite a team-high eight assists. The Blue Jackets have posted a 45.96% 5v5 xGoals share, their 47.1% 5v5 Fenwick ranks 25th, and they’ve allowed 3.43 xGoals against per 60.
Jet Greaves is confirmed to start after Cam Talbot handled the past two games between the pipes. Greaves is 2-3-0 with a 3.34 GAA and .883 SV%, and while he posted a 31-save shutout of the Rangers on Oct. 17, he allowed five goals on 19 shots against Toronto in his most recent outing.
Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets Prediction and Best Bet
At -258, there’s virtually no value on Carolina’s Moneyline, so I’ll turn to the Puck Line. Seven of the Hurricanes’ 10 wins have come by two or more goals, and four of Columbus’s five losses have been decided by at least two. Overtime is the main risk here, as three of the Blue Jackets’ past six games have gone past regulation, but Carolina’s shot volume and an unbeaten Kochetkov should be enough to win comfortably at plus money.
Best Bet: Hurricanes -1.5 (+102)
Advanced stats courtesy of MoneyPuck.
