The Carolina Hurricanes (16-6-6) play host to the Seattle Kraken (16-9-3) at PNC Arena on Thursday. Seattle is wrapping up a four-game road trip coming off a high-scoring 6-2 loss against the Lightning on Tuesday.
The Kraken committed nine penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Jared McCann and Ryan Donato each scored once for the Kraken. Philipp Grubauer only had 16 saves on 20 shots against (.800%) after starting in the loss.
Carolina is returning home for a four-game homestand after a 1-0 win over the Red Wings on Tuesday. Brady Skjei netted the only goal for the Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov had a dominant performance with 27 saves to record his second shutout of the season, third-most in the league.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Hurricanes won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-1 victory in October. Andrei Svechnikov (2G 1A) and Sebastian Aho (1G 2A) each had three points to lead Carolina. Andre Burakovsky scored Seattle’s only goal. Frederik Andersen got the win, saving 22 of 23 shots (.956%).
FACING OFF
Seattle is averaging 3.50 goals per game for the season, seventh in the NHL, and they are taking on a Hurricanes team that is allowing just 2.61 goals a game (4th). Meanwhile, Carolina has found the net 2.82 times a game on average, 27th in the league, and the Kraken are allowing opponents to score 3.25 goals per game (20th).
Carolina averages more shots a game (34.8) than most teams in the league, ranking third, though the team’s 8.3% shooting percentage is 30th. Seattle has been one of the league’s less successful shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 31 with a team save percentage of .885%.
The Kraken’s 23.08% power play percentage ranks 14th in the league, while the Hurricanes are 26th with a conversion rate of 17.89%. While efficient on the power play, Seattle has been poor at penalty killing, as the away team possesses the league’s fourth-lowest PK% at 69.57%. Carolina’s 80.00% ranks 13th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 27 points this season, Burakovsky is the top skater for the Kraken. He has 10 goals and 17 assists in 28 games. In the net, Martin Jones (13-5-2) is Seattle’s top goaltender. He has a 2.92 GAA and a .890% save percentage.
Martin Necas (28 points), Aho (27), and Svechnikov (26) lead the Hurricanes in scoring. Necas has 12 goals and 16 assists, while Aho has 11 goals and 16 assists in 26 games. Svechnikov has 15 goals and 11 assists. Kochetkov (6-1-4) has the best goals against average for Carolina at 2.21, third-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .918%.
HOME AND AWAY
Seattle is 9-3-1 away from Climate Pledge Arena this season. Carolina is 5-3-1 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Carolina Hurricanes (-200)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
