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Carolina Hurricanes vs. San Jose Sharks Free Preview 12/5/18

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Hurricanes, spearheaded by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, are ready to take the ice against Brent Burns, Logan Couture, and the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center in an East-West tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 5, and you’ll be able to catch it live on NBC Sports California.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. San Jose Sharks Odds

Playing the role of favorites will be the Sharks (-160), while the Hurricanes are dogs offering moneyline odds of +140, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).

San Jose is 13-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 45-37 record that the team managed during the 2017-18 season campaign. Among its 28 games this season, 16 have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 8-5 SU at home this season.

The Sharks have converted on 22.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated second overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 85.5 percent of all penalties.

Boasting a .894 save percentage and 25.3 saves per game, Martin Jones (10-9-3) has been the top option in goal for the Sharks this year. If head coach Peter Deboer decides to give him a breather, however, the team may turn to Aaron Dell (3-6-6 record, .904 save percentage, 2.88 goals against average).

On the other bench, Carolina is 12-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 26 regular season matches, 18 of its games have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and none have pushed. As an away team, the Hurricanes are 5-7 SU so far.

The Hurricanes have converted on just 15.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 25th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully defended 78.5 percent of all penalties.

Curtis McElhinney (2.10 goals against average and .930 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina. McElhinney is averaging 27.9 saves per game and owns a 7-3-1 record.

Carolina Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks Betting Picks

NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under

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Notes

Betting Notes

The Sharks are 0-2 in games that go to shootout. The Hurricanes are 1-1 in shootouts.

For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in three of their last five outings.

Two clubs that have pounded opponents’ goalies with shots, Carolina has registered the league’s second-most shots on goal (38.7) while San Jose has attempted the fourth-most (35.3).

Carolina skaters have given out the league’s fourth-most hits per game (27.5), but the team’s averaged just 23.6 hits over their last five away games.

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Written by GMS Previews

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