The Carolina Hurricanes are on the verge of accomplishing a feat the franchise hasn’t managed to recreate in two decades. With a win tonight in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, they’ll punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. The chance to do so in front of the crowd in Raleigh makes this an even more intriguing matchup, and after winning three straight contests, it appears the Canes are on the cusp of slamming the door shut on this series.

Here’s a Canadiens vs. Hurricanes Game 5 prediction and pick for Friday’s NHL Playoffs action on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Canadiens vs. Hurricanes Game 5 prediction, preview

Before we get started, here’s a brief excerpt from my write-up of the last game of this series. There’s a reason it’s being included here, trust me.

This has been quite the series thus far, but there’s a concerning trend for the Canadiens. What’s that, you may ask? They’ve been drastically outshot lately. In Game 1, they managed to score six goals but lost the SOG battle 22-28. In Game 2, they were outshot 12-26, a margin which looked even worse in Game 3 with a 13-39 difference. What does that tally sit at overall in the series, then? It’s 47-93, which means Montreal has been outshot by nearly double its own attempts. Woof.

You’ll never guess what happened in Game 4 on Wednesday. What’s that? The Hurricanes drastically outshot the Canadiens again by a 44-18 margin? Who could’ve guessed! Jokes aside, there’s a clear difference in philosophy here and Carolina’s defense continues to put the clamps on the opposing side. Now, the SOG margin sits at 137-65, an astounding dichotomy that has truly been the story of the series. After a 4-0 win last time out, it seems the shots have finally started falling more for the Canes while the scoring predictably dried up for the Habs… just as we anticipated.

Here’s a brief update on the rest of the numbers, all per Natural Stat Trick. In just under 210 minutes of 5v5 play this series, the Hurricanes have the edge in total chances for (270-155), xGF (13.74-6.26), and high-danger chances (54-27). That xGF mark being double that of the Canadiens is really all you need to see. On the 5v4 power play, Carolina is also ahead in total chances for (43-7), xGF (3.39-0.66) and high-danger chances (though that margin is slimmer at just seven to two). The Canes have largely played clean hockey by giving up just eight power-play opportunities, allowing only one goal in that sample. Conversely, the Habs have given up 14 chances but only one goal. They’re lucky the discipline hasn’t proven more costly.

Canadiens vs. Hurricanes pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Hurricanes as -250 home favorites to win on the Moneyline tonight, while the Canadiens come in as a +205 underdog on the road. The game total sits at 5.5 combined goals.

Betting splits show 80% of straight bets on Carolina to win, 73% of wagers on the Canes to cover the -1.5 puck line, and 57% on the total’s over.

Much like in the series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, this matchup seems very much over. While this one has the favorites winning instead of the underdog, the level of dominance on display is quite similar — both the numbers and eye test show that Carolina is far more locked in and is the better team at the moment, just like we saw Vegas do in a four-game sweep of the Stanley Cup favorites. The momentum is fully on the Hurricanes’ side after rattling off three consecutive wins and generating a massive edge in shots on goal, Corsi and Fenwick, regardless of which stat you prefer to show possession.

The Canadiens will be back here in the coming years since they’re a young, up-and-coming roster. They’re totally outmatched at the moment though, so the Hurricanes should punch a ticket to the Stanley Cup Final with a multi-goal win tonight. They can easily go up by more than one, but with the prospect of an empty-netter or two at the end as desperation sets in for the Habs, this bet looks even better.

The Golden Knights await.

Best bet: CAR Hurricanes -1.5 (+105)