Canucks vs. Hurricanes Recap: Over 5.5 and Staal Under Cash

The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 in regulation, and the game was over early. Carolina scored three times in the 1st period, two of them on the power play, and led 6-1 after 40 minutes. The Hurricanes scored on all three of their power plays, added a shorthanded goal, and outshot Vancouver 34-20. Kevin Lankinen allowed six goals on 18 shots before Leevi Merilainen took over for the 3rd, and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 18 of 20 at the other end. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

ALT: Over 5.5 total goals: CASHED - Our read: Vancouver came in allowing 4.5 goals a game, with Lankinen sitting at a .824 save percentage. We wanted the alternate over at 5.5 instead of the main 6.5. - What happened: Nine total goals, 3.5 clear of the line. K'Andre Miller scored 1:18 in, Andrei Svechnikov scored twice on the power play in the 1st, and the sixth goal of the night, Logan Stankoven's shorthanded snap shot at 13:13 of the 2nd, put it over before the second intermission. Stankoven finished with a hat trick on five shots. - Worth watching: Lankinen gave up six goals on 18 shots, so the goals-against angle on Vancouver lined up with the read. The alt over is only worth a look again at a fair price, not at any number.

Jordan Staal under 0.5 points (-135 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Staal had no points through four games and averaged 0.48 points a game last season, so we leaned under on his points prop. At 62 confidence this was a longer shot that landed. - What happened: Staal went 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots on goal and -2 in 13:35. He played just 0:46 on the power play and 3:02 shorthanded, and won 12 of 20 faceoffs. None of Carolina's seven goals had his name on them, so he finished 0.5 under the line. - Worth watching: Staal's minutes lean defensive, with more penalty-kill time than power-play time, and he did not register a shot. When his role looks like that, the points under stays worth checking, as long as the price stays near where we took it.

How the game played out

The 1st period set the tone: Carolina scored on its first two power plays and led 3-0. Jake DeBrusk answered 43 seconds after Mark Jankowski made it 4-0, but Stankoven scored shorthanded and then on the power play with 58 seconds left in the 2nd. Vancouver came up empty on four power plays, and Kochetkov made seven power-play saves.

Trends to watch

• Carolina's power play scored on every chance, with Svechnikov scoring two and Jackson Blake assisting on both of his. The second came five seconds into a Vancouver penalty.
• Sean Walker logged 21:23 and had four assists, including on all three Stankoven goals.
• DeBrusk scored both Vancouver goals on four shots in 18:44, with 4:57 on the power play, and Elias Pettersson assisted on both.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. More on the NHL board, how alt lines work, and what goes into a player prop.