- Jan 7, 2008
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Burns HOCKEY
CAROLINA
Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game Time: 2/14/2008 7:05:00 PM Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes Reason: I'm laying the price with CAROLINA. Both teams played Boston in their last game. Carolina beat the Bruins on Tuesday, while Pittsburgh lost against them last night. That's worth mentioning as we find the Penguins at just 6-14 the last 20 times that they played the second of back to back games. Note that the Penguins have also lost three of their last four road games, giving up four goals in each of the losses. A look at the standings shows that the Hurricanes "need" this game more than their guests. Although they've got the Devils breathing down their necks, the Penguins still sit on top of the Atlantic. They're also still tied for the second most points in the Eastern Conference. Conversely, Carolina is currently tied for the tenth spot in the conference, with division rival Atlanta. However, playing in the Southeast division helps, as the Hurricanes are tied for the division lead, with both the Thrashers and the Capitals. In fact, they were on top of the division before both Atlanta and Washington earned points yesterday. My point about their poisition in the standings is that there should be no "complacency" on Carolina's part. As Sergei Samsonov said after the Boston win: "We're battling for a playoff spot. For us, it's almost a playoff game..." The Hurricanes lost their last two games at Pittsburgh. However, they've won three straight against the Penguins here in Carolina, outscoring the Pens by a 13-5 margin. Looking back further and we find that the Hurricanes have won six of the last seven series meetings here. They're also 19-11 (+5.7) when facing a team which defeated them in their previous meeting. Looking back a bit further and we find that the Hurricanes are 66-41 the past three seasons when playing a home game with an over/under line of six or greater. During the same stretch, the Pens were just 35-59 when playing a road game with an over/under line of six or great. I expect the Hurricanes to continue their home ice success in this series, earning another important two points. *Personal Favorite
CAROLINA
Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game Time: 2/14/2008 7:05:00 PM Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes Reason: I'm laying the price with CAROLINA. Both teams played Boston in their last game. Carolina beat the Bruins on Tuesday, while Pittsburgh lost against them last night. That's worth mentioning as we find the Penguins at just 6-14 the last 20 times that they played the second of back to back games. Note that the Penguins have also lost three of their last four road games, giving up four goals in each of the losses. A look at the standings shows that the Hurricanes "need" this game more than their guests. Although they've got the Devils breathing down their necks, the Penguins still sit on top of the Atlantic. They're also still tied for the second most points in the Eastern Conference. Conversely, Carolina is currently tied for the tenth spot in the conference, with division rival Atlanta. However, playing in the Southeast division helps, as the Hurricanes are tied for the division lead, with both the Thrashers and the Capitals. In fact, they were on top of the division before both Atlanta and Washington earned points yesterday. My point about their poisition in the standings is that there should be no "complacency" on Carolina's part. As Sergei Samsonov said after the Boston win: "We're battling for a playoff spot. For us, it's almost a playoff game..." The Hurricanes lost their last two games at Pittsburgh. However, they've won three straight against the Penguins here in Carolina, outscoring the Pens by a 13-5 margin. Looking back further and we find that the Hurricanes have won six of the last seven series meetings here. They're also 19-11 (+5.7) when facing a team which defeated them in their previous meeting. Looking back a bit further and we find that the Hurricanes are 66-41 the past three seasons when playing a home game with an over/under line of six or greater. During the same stretch, the Pens were just 35-59 when playing a road game with an over/under line of six or great. I expect the Hurricanes to continue their home ice success in this series, earning another important two points. *Personal Favorite