John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, and the Washington Capitals will face off against Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov, and the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena in a Metropolitan Division showdown. The action gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 3, and you can witness it live on NBA Sports Washington Plus.
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes Odds
The Hurricanes (-125) are favored over the Capitals (+105), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-130 money on the over, +110 on the under).
Washington is 27-14 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 6.8 units this season. 26 of its contests have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and none have pushed. As a road team in 2019-20, the Caps are 16-6 SU.
Washington has converted on 21.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it has successfully killed off 84.9 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 26.3 saves per game with a .902 save percentage, Braden Holtby (17-12-4) has been the best option in goal for Washington this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, head coach Todd Reirden may go with Ilya Samsonov (10-4-1 record, .918 save percentage, 2.28 goals against average).
Carolina is 24-16 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.3 units this year. Through 40 regular season matches, 21 of its games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and none have pushed. The team is 12-6 SU at home this season.
The Hurricanes have converted on 23.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.2 percent of all penalties.
Petr Mrazek has stopped 24.3 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for the Hurricanes. Mrazek has 16 wins, 10 losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has registered a mediocre 2.67 goals against average and a fairly-weak .903 save percentage this season.
Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes Betting Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Capitals (3-2 in shootouts) has more shootout experience coming into this one. The Hurricanes, however, emerged victorious in both of its shootouts this year.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five games.
- Carolina’s attempted 34.2 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 35.6 in their last five home games.
- Over Carolina’s last ten outings, nine of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 6-3 in those games).
- Washington skaters have given out the seventh-most hits in the league (24.2 per game).
