Pittsburgh at Carolina

The Penguins head to Carolina leading the series two games to none, and have had their way with the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were not supposed to be here and the toll of the grueling 14 games it took to find their way to this series may be grinding them down. The Hurricanes are here despite the fact that they have a .500 record in the playoffs at 8-8. Not sure how frequently that happens yet end up in the third round. They seem to be wearing down defensively and mentally, as they have now lost four of their last five and in the process, are giving up an average of four goals per game. That may be very telling as the Hurricanes had just one such stretch this season allowing four goals per game over a five-game sequence, and lost them all. The Penguins appear hungry to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals, winning six of their last seven and have not scored fewer than three goals in any game over their last eight. The Hurricanes’ weary legs have now gone 3-10 in their last 13 after allowing five goals or more in a game. These defensive lapses are ready to be cashed-in by a Penguins’ offense that is scoring in every game. I'll go Penguins here.