After a festive period around Christmas, the NHL returns with a 12-game slate on Tuesday, December 27, and here you can check out the best Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes betting pick and odds.

Carolina is searching for the ninth straight victory when they welcome Chicago at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes are massive -400 moneyline favorites on BetUS Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6 goals. These inter-conference rivals have met once this year, and the Hurricanes won 3-0 in Chicago.

Blackhawks finally snapped a losing skid

The Chicago Blackhawks (8-20-4, 14-18 ATS) were in a negative run of eight defeats but they managed to avoid the ninth loss in a row with a 5-2 home victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Still, the Blackhawks have the worst record in the entire NHL and we can’t ignore the fact that they lost 16 of the last 18 games. The Hawks will open a three-game road trip with this tilt against Carolina.

Chicago got to a 4-0 lead early in the second period against Columbus. In fact, those four goals were scored in the space of ten minutes as the Blackhawks finished the game with 38 shots opposite Columbus’ 29. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews reminisced of old themselves as they led their team with three points apiece, while Max Domi added two. For the season, these two players lead Chicago in points. Kane has 25 (G 5, A 20), Domi is following him with 23 (G 11, A 12), while Toews chipped in 20 (G 11, A 9).

Petr Mrazek (2-8-1) is a probable goaltender for the Blackhawks against the Canes on Tuesday. The 30-year-old is allowing 4.23 goals per game this season with a .874 SV% and no shutouts.

D Jarred Tinordi (chin) is out indefinitely and will not be ready to suit up against Carolina on Tuesday.

Hurricanes are red-hot at the moment

The Carolina Hurricanes (22-6-6, 14-20 ATS) are currently the hottest team in the NHL as they recorded eight consecutive wins and 12 of the last 13. The Canes climbed up to second place in the Eastern Conference and have the second-best record in the league after the most recent win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Carolina opened its three-game homestay with a 6-5 victory over the Flyers despite conceding three games in the final period.

Luckily for the Canes, they scored six in the opening two periods to get to a 6-2 lead, and obviously, they relaxed a bit late in the game. Jesper Fast scored a couple of goals for the hosts, but Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal led the team with three points each, while Carolina had four players with two points. This year, Martin Necas is the Hurricane’s most valuable player with 33 points (G 14, A 19). Andrei Svechnikov has 31 (G 18, A 13) and Sebastian Aho has 27 points (G 11, A 16).

Pyotr Kochetkov (10-1-4) is likely going to take his place between the sticks against Chicago on Tuesday. The 23-year-old is conceding 1.94 goals per game this season along with a .928 SV% and three shutouts.

LW Max Pacioretty (Achilles), G Frederik Andersen (lower body), and Ondrej Kase RW (concussion) are out indefinitely.

Trends:

Chicago:

  • 1-8 in their last nine games
  • 1-6 in the last seven games against Carolina
  • 1-5 in the last six games on the road

Carolina:

  • 8-0 in the last eight games
  • 6-0 in the last six games at home

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Carolina Hurricanes Pick  

Although Carolina’s offense is not very efficient this season (3.06 goals per game), it is still better than Chicago’s which is averaging 2.34 gpg, which is the second-worst in the NHL. The Canes are strong on defense and have the sixth-best D that is conceding 2.62 goals per contest. They allowed more than three goals in just two of the previous eight games, while the Blackhawks managed to score more than three only once in the last nine games. It was nice seeing Chicago finally winning a game, but the Canes are red hot and I am backing the hosts to secure an easy victory.

Pick: Take the Hurricanes at -1.5 Puck Line (-135)

The Total

Kochetkov is one of the best goaltenders in the NGL at the moment, and although I think he will limit Chicago to one or two goals, I am not so sure about his colleague on the other end. Mrazek conceded 4+ goals in five of his previous seven starts, so the hosts could have a high-scoring night on Tuesday. The total has gone Over in six of Chicago’s last nine games against the Eastern Conference rivals; the total went Over in five of the Blackhawks’ previous seven games against the Metropolitan Division opponents, while the total has gone Over in eight of the last 11 H2H meetings.

Pick: Go Over 6 goals (-110)