Carolina Hurricanes @ Tampa Bay Lightning - January 7, 2025

Alright, folks! It’s that time again; the excitement in the air is electric! We’ve got a clash of titans coming up with my beloved Carolina Hurricanes taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. Now, as a die-hard Canes fan, I can’t help but feel a mix of anticipation and nerves before this showdown.

Let’s dive into what we can expect from this game. The oddsmakers have made Carolina the slight favorites at -128 on the moneyline, and honestly, I think that’s spot on. But here’s where it gets interesting – Tampa Bay might just surprise us tonight despite their recent struggles.

The Lightning come into this matchup with a rough patch, having lost four straight games. You hate to see it for such a storied franchise! However, they do boast some impressive offensive stats per game: scoring nearly 3.8 goals and firing off around 28 shots. And let’s not overlook that power play percentage sitting at an impressive 26.36%. If there’s any chance for them to turn things around tonight against the Canes, it’s going to come from capitalizing on those power plays.

On the flip side, Carolina is rolling right now with a record of 24-14-2 SU after snatching a win against Pittsburgh. Their offense has been cooking too; they’re averaging just over 3.3 goals per game and hitting the net about 32 times each outing! Plus, their corsi percentage tells us they’re controlling play pretty well overall.

Now here comes my hot take: While I’m all in for my Hurricanes to cover the spread tonight, I’m feeling like Tampa may just edge out this victory. They need a breakout game badly and playing in front of their home crowd could give them that extra push. Remember what I said earlier? When underdogs win – they cover!

Defensively speaking, both teams have shown vulnerabilities recently but Tampa’s got slightly better save percentages (90% vs. Carolina’s 88%). The penalty kill stats don’t look good for either squad either; both will need to tighten up if they want to avoid giving away crucial opportunities.

And here’s another nugget worth considering: Despite Carolina being favored and having some serious firepower themselves, they’ve had trouble covering spreads on the road lately—just 2-8 ATS in their last ten away games! That trend does make me raise an eyebrow.

So here’s how I see it playing out: Expect a tight contest with plenty of back-and-forth action between these two teams who both want this win desperately. My prediction? The Lightning pull off an upset by clinching this one while keeping it close enough that Carolina covers the spread—and don’t be surprised if this ends up being an UNDER game given how stingy both defenses can be when needed.

Get ready for an exhilarating night of hockey – because when these two meet on the ice, you know it’s going to be anything but dull! Go Canes!