Carolina at Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their quest to get back into the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Red Wings a year ago. The Penguins are playing well at home where they have claimed victory in 12 of their last 15 games. Carolina is the team that isn't supposed to be here, but fought their way through two grueling seven-game series’ to get here, and I think that is going to take its toll on them in this series. The Hurricanes are here, but just 8-7 in the playoffs and being outscored through the 15 games. They are just 6-10 in their last 16 on the road. They were out shot in the last two periods of game one by 22-13, and I expect them to begin to wear down midway through this one again. The Penguins have thrived in this role posting a 26-7 mark when favored in the -151 to -200 range, as well as going 17-5 as a playoff favorite in their last 22 playoff games. They are also 48-19 against a team with a losing road record. The Hurricanes have not fared well in Pittsburgh recently, where they are just 1-5 in their last six here. I'm going with the Penguins in this one.