Who is favoured, Nashville Predators or Carolina Hurricanes?

Carolina Hurricanes, at 63.8% in PuckCast's preseason forecast. That is a rating-based forecast; the full model read, with goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of puck drop.

What is a preseason forecast?

A win probability from each team's regressed preseason rating and home ice, the same ratings behind the 2026-27 projected standings. Those ratings are calibrated at the season level, for standings and playoff odds; this single-game percentage is a plain rating formula and has not been graded on its own yet. It is deliberately unsure about any single game, and the confidence grade says how far it leans.

When does the real prediction publish?

Inside the seven-day window before the game. The model re-scores it on every refresh until puck drop, with the confirmed starting goalies, and this page shows that read instead of the forecast.

Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes, Sat, Jan 2: prediction and odds forecast

PuckCast Edge

Every pick is free. The Edge is the rest.

Betting edges, stake sizing, props priced against the line, fantasy tiers and the graded ledger. $14.99 a month in season, or $99 for the year.

Get the Edge See the slate

2026-27 forecast · Sat, Jan 2, 7:00 PM ET

Nashville PredatorsNSH

93 proj. pts · 47.6% playoffs

Juuse Saros · 0.894 SV%

Bvs7:00 PM ET

Carolina HurricanesCAR

A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How the model works

The read

Preseason ratings · last season’s record

CAR controlled play at 5v5 last season, 56.5% of the expected goals to 47.7%; CAR's power play ran at 23.4% against a NSH kill at 81.7%.

In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Brandon Bussi (CAR) saved -14.9 goals above expected to Juuse Saros's -28.0, on save percentages of 0.895 and 0.894.

None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction — confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market — publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Carolina Hurricanes over Nashville Predators is where it starts, not where it ends.

In goal

goalie board

No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.

NSH

Juuse Saros

SV%: 0.894
GSAx: -28.0
GAA: 3.16
Record: 28-22-8

59 games, 2025-26

CAR

Brandon Bussi

SV%: 0.895
GSAx: -14.9
GAA: 2.47
Record: 31-6-2

39 games, 2025-26

NSH	Metric	CAR
47.7%	xGF% (5v5)	56.5%
48.5%	Shot share	57.3%
3.0	Goals for / game	3.5
3.3	Goals against / game	2.7
23.1%	Power play	23.4%
81.7%	Penalty kill	82.7%
50.5%	Faceoffs	49.8%

Who drives it

2026-27 projected points

Nashville Predators

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Filip Forsberg	L	32	36	67
Steven Stamkos	C	31	29	59
Ryan O'Reilly	C	17	32	49
Roman Josi	D	10	32	43

Carolina Hurricanes

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Sebastian Aho	C	29	47	76

Date	Game	Pick	Score	Result
2025-12-17	CAR @ NSH	CAR	CAR 4–1 NSH	Correct
2025-12-06	NSH @ CAR	CAR	NSH 3–6 CAR	Correct

Team	Proj. points	Playoff odds
Nashville Predators	93	47.6%
Carolina Hurricanes	105	69.3%

Every pick is free. The Edge is the rest.

The read

In goal

Last season, side by side

Who drives it

Schedule around it

Last season, head to head

Season outlook