Hurricanes vs. Capitals Odds
| Hurricanes Odds | -200 |
| Capitals Odds | +165 |
| Over / Under | 6 -105 / -115 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals on Friday, March 22 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Evgeny Kuznetsov will return to Washington for the first time since being traded at the deadline. When the Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in 2018, Kuznetsov paced the team with 32 points, which should garner a warm response from the Caps' faithful.
The Hurricanes are 7-1-0 since Kuznetsov's addition to the team, which has coincided with star winger Jake Guentzel's arrival from Pittsburgh.
The Capitals have been a profitable bet at 6-4-0 during their last 10 games and will be heavy underdogs yet again in this critical matchup. A win here would put Washington two points behind Philadelphia with one game in hand.
Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes GM Don Waddell's deadline moves are looking like massive wins at this point, though nobody in Carolina is too interested in how those moves look in the regular season.
Evgeny Kuznetsov made for a very interesting buy-low candidate at the deadline. His play has tailed off considerably during the last several seasons, but that dropoff was likely due to off-ice issues. Nobody doubted his talent to be star producer again at the NHL level, but his will to compete was questionable.
The fit in Carolina seems great, and it seems that Kuznetsov's addition has also helped draw better play out of his best friend, former Capital Dmitry Orlov.
Jake Guentzel was the more notable deadline addition, and he has been true to form with eight points over the last five games. He has been a great fit alongside Sebastian Aho on the top unit and has displayed strong chemistry with Seth Jarvis this week, as well.
It's a good problem to have — but it's hard to say where Teuvo Teravainen will fit into the Hurricanes star-studded top-six when he returns to the lineup.
In nine games this month, the Hurricanes have played to a 4.04 xGF/60 rating, which ranks first in the league. Their 3.16 xGA/60 ranks 16th, so the Hurricanes are actually playing a far more uptempo style of hockey than we have typically seen in recent years.
Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen have both displayed more improved play in goal of late. If one of the two can lock into good form for the playoffs, the Hurricanes are arguably the team to beat out East.
Andersen started last night versus the Flyers, so we should expect Kochetkov to get the start here. Kochetkov has played to a +0.6 GSAx and .913 save % in 36 appearances this season.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals will catch the rival Hurricanes in a traveling back-to-back but will not have many edges beyond that.
Tom Wilson is going to be suspended at some point today — for five games or more. T.J. Oshie has also been confirmed out for this game, which leaves the Capitals short two of their few remaining veterans. Aliaksei Protas has been one of the Capitals best defensive forwards and is an under-the-radar reason for their surprising record. He will remain sidelined for this matchup.
Matthew Phillips has been recalled from the AHL and will likely slide into the lineup as a result of those losses.
More notably, the Capitals will give Darcy Kuemper the start in goal. Kuemper has offered far weaker splits than Charlie Lindgren, as Kuemper has played to a -4.0 GSAx and .890 save % across 30 appearances.
For the first time this season, Alex Ovechkin has put up back-to-back multi-goal games. He has scored in 12 of 23 games since the All-Star break and will be expected to play big minutes in this huge matchup given the state of the roster.
Hurricanes vs. Capitals
Betting Pick & Prediction
Oddsmakers are expecting a nail-biter here, with a betting total of 5.5. The Capitals offensive upside is limited, and hanging around with sharp defensive play is Washington's main avenue to success. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are obviously one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Still, the Hurricanes have been in downright excellent form offensively and should be able to reach four or more on average against Kuemper. Kochetkov has also been a well below-average starter this season, who is prone to letting in some softies against the run of play.
A total of 5.5 looks tough low to me even at -128, and I see value betting that over at anything better -130.
Given my belief that the Hurricanes reach four or more fairly frequently in this matchup, I also have interest in some of their player props.
Kuznetsov has recorded a single point in four of his last five, and he has looked excellent alongside Necas and Svechnikov on a highly talented second line. You don't need to buy into the "revenge" angle to think his price to record one point should be shorter, especially in a game where the Canes should score effectively. That notwithstanding, I don't hate knowing that a player whose effort level has always been hit-or-miss should be up for this matchup, either.
Picks:
- Evgeny Kuznetsov Over 0.5 Points -105 (Play to -110)
- Over 5.5 -128 (Play to -130)
