In professional sports, it is possible to be one of the best teams in recent memory, but have your reputation tarnished by an inability to get the job done in the postseason. The Washington Capitals have been a dominant force in the regular season for many years, thanks in large part to the scoring antics of Alexander Ovechkin. The problem here, though, is that the Capitals have made a habit of stumbling badly in the playoffs, despite dominating the NHL betting odds for the playoffs too, and with Ovechkin not getting any younger, you need to feel as though their window of opportunity is in danger of slamming shut.
The Capitals are once again racking up wins and points in the regular season, and come into their Thursday night divisional rivalry game with the Carolina Hurricanes sitting atop the Metropolitan Division. With the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins struggling this season, the time for the Caps may be now, but we are going to need to wait until the second half of the season plays out before we get an idea of how they might do once the playoffs roll around.
They have once again turned home ice into a fortress, going 18-5 in their own building this season. They have also been dominant against division rivals, going 7-3-1 against Metropolitan Division foes. Surprisingly, a lot of the numbers that the Capitals are posting are in the middle of the pack, although they are top 10 in scoring with 3.1 GPG.
This team is perhaps not as dominant as it has been in recent years, so perhaps that is a sign that they are saving their best for the postseason.
Hurricanes vs. Capitals Game Info & NHL Betting Prediction
The #Canes and Washington Capitals begin a home-and-home, back-to-back set in the District.
📰: https://t.co/vq0K4RVAqN #CARvsWSH — Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) 11 de enero de 2018
- When: Thursday, January 11 at 7 PM EST
- Where: Capital One Arena, Washington
- TV: TSOH and CSNB
- Radio: 99.9 FM (Carolina) / 1500 AM (Washington)
- NHL Betting Odds: Washington Capitals -1.5 (Over/Under at 5.5 Goals)
Team Records
- All: Carolina Hurricanes 19-15-8 / Washington Capitals 27-13-3
- Home: Carolina Hurricanes 10-4-4 / Washington Capitals 18-5
- Away: Carolina Hurricanes 9-11-4 / Washington Capitals 9-8-3
- As Favorite: Carolina Hurricanes 11-5-5 / Washington Capitals 19-8-1
- As Underdog: Carolina Hurricanes 8-10-3 / Washington Capitals 8-5-2
- ATS: Carolina Hurricanes 21-21 / Washington Capitals 21-22
- Over/Under: Carolina Hurricanes 20-20-2 / Washington Capitals 24-19
Why bet on the Carolina Hurricanes?
If you need an idea of just how competitive the Metropolitan Division is, just take a look at the Carolina Hurricanes. They are 4 games above .500 at the halfway point of the season, yet find themselves second bottom of the division. That said, they are currently just a single point out of the last Wild Card spot, so it’s still all to play for in the eyes of the Hurricanes faithful. While the good news is that this team is still in the playoff hunt, the bad news is that they have been doing very little to help their cause of late. They have lost back to back games, and are now just 5-4-1 in their last 10 outings. The road has not been great to Carolina, as they are 9-11-4 in games away from their own building. They do have a winning record against teams in the division, though, going 5-3-3 in those 11 games.Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 2.83
- Shots: 34.33
- PP/PK Percentage: 17.04
- Goals: 3.12
- Shots: 29.12
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.00
Why bet on the Washington Capitals?
It has been more of the same from the Washington Capitals this season, as they are once again putting together another solid regular season. The Caps are coming into this one on a 5-game winning streak that has helped them leapfrog the Columbus Blue Jackets atop the Metropolitan Division.
They have once again turned home ice into a fortress, going 18-5 in their own building this season. They have also been dominant against division rivals, going 7-3-1 against Metropolitan Division foes. Surprisingly, a lot of the numbers that the Capitals are posting are in the middle of the pack, although they are top 10 in scoring with 3.1 GPG.
This team is perhaps not as dominant as it has been in recent years, so perhaps that is a sign that they are saving their best for the postseason.
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.14
- Shots: 29.02
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.00
- Goals: 2.81
- Shots: 32.12
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.41
Head to Head Stats (Last 10 Games)
- Record: Carolina Hurricanes 2-5-3 / Washington Capitals 8-2
- Score: Carolina Hurricanes 2.20 / Washington Capitals 3.50
- Shots: Carolina Hurricanes 29.40 / Washington Capitals 26.40
- Power Play Goals: Carolina Hurricanes 4 / Washington Capitals 6
- Number of Power Plays: Carolina Hurricanes 37 / Washington Capitals 16
- Power Play Percentage: Carolina Hurricanes 10.81 / Washington Capitals 37.50
- Penalty Kill Percentage: Carolina Hurricanes 62.50 / Washington Capitals 89.19
Latest NHL Betting Trends
- Hurricanes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on the road
- Hurricanes are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina’s last 5 games when playing Washington
- Capitals are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games
- Capitals are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games
