Free NHL Picks Today: Carolina Hurricanes vs Calgary Flames 11/26/22

Two of the league’s highest volume shooting teams are set to square off at PNC Arena on Saturday, as the Carolina Hurricanes (10-6-5) welcome the Calgary Flames (9-8-3). Both teams will be playing their second game in as many days.

The Flames are 0-1 without rest, while the Hurricanes are 3-0. Calgary is coming off a 3-0 loss against the Capitals yesterday. The Flames committed only two penalties in the game, yet still conceded a power play goal. Jacob Markstrom only had 22 saves on 25 shots against (.880%) in the loss.

Carolina dropped their fifth in a row, falling 3-2 (OT) to the Bruins yesterday. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Stefan Noesen each scored once for the Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov had a great performance with 38 saves (.926%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Flames won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 3-2 (OT) victory in October. Tyler Toffoli (1G 1A) and Rasmus Andersson (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Calgary. Calvin de Haan and Sebastian Aho were on the scoresheet for Carolina. Markstrom got the win, saving 25 of 27 shots (.925%).

FACING OFF

Calgary is averaging 2.90 goals per game for the season, 22nd in the NHL, and they are taking on a Hurricanes team that is allowing 2.81 goals a game (10th). Meanwhile, Carolina has found the net 2.67 times a game on average, 27th in the league, and the Flames are allowing opponents to score 3.20 goals per game (16th). Both teams average more shots per game than most teams in the league.

Calgary ranks No. 3 with 35.5 attempts, while Carolina’s 35.3 average ranks fourth. The Flames have struggled to stop shots with a team save percentage of only .893% (29th), while the Hurricanes have stopped .901% of attempts (22nd).

The Hurricanes’ 15.00% power play percentage is the fourth-worst in the league, while the Flames rank 22nd with a conversion rate of 19.05%. When it comes to defending power plays, Calgary has the league’s 10th-ranked PK% at 80.82%, while Carolina is 15th at 80.00%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Elias Lindholm and Nazem Kadri have been the top skaters for the Flames this season with 16 and 15 points. Aho and Martin Necas lead the Hurricanes in scoring with 23 points apiece. Both have nine goals and 14 assists.

Andrei Svechnikov has 13 goals and eight assists. Antti Raanta (3-2-2) has the best goals against average for Carolina at 2.54. He has a save percentage of .902%. Frederik Andersen (5-3-0) has played the most games in net for the Hurricanes this season. He has a 2.72 GAA and a .891% save percentage.