The Carolina Hurricanes (44-20-6) take on the Washington Capitals (33-26-9) Friday at Capital One Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET (NHL Network). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Hurricanes vs. Capitals odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Carolina is on the back end of a back-to-back after gutting out a 3-2 OT win against the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night. C Seth Jarvis sent the crowd home happy with a goal nearly 90 seconds into the extra frame. Jarvis is on a heater with goals in 5 straight and 6 of 7. LW Teuvo Teravainen has missed action with an upper body ailment, so the added offense has been needed.
The Caps are still hanging around, 3 points out of a Wild Card spot. They’re coming off a 7-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday. The setback snapped a 3-game winning streak. LW Alex Ovechkin netted 2 goals against Toronto and has 5 goals in his last 3 games to give him 23 on the season.
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Hurricanes at Capitals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:10 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Hurricanes -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Capitals +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Hurricanes -1.5 (+125) | Capitals +1.5 (-155)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Hurricanes at Capitals projected goalies
Pyotr Kochetkov (19-12-3, 2.36 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SO) vs. Darcy Kuemper (13-13-3, 3.29 GAA, .890 SV%, 1 SO)
Kochetkov was great in a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders Tuesday. He stopped 30 of 31 shots fired his way. He’s 3-2-0 with a 2.43 GAA and .921 SV% in 5 starts this month. He allowed 4 goals in 2 of those games and combined to allow 4 in the other 3 combined.
Kuemper was bodied for 7 goals on 37 shots in a 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday. He has allowed 3+ goals in 5 straight starts, which is the primary reason he has been relegated to backup duty. He was victorious in a 2-1 shootout finish Dec. 17 against Carolina and stopped 28 of 29.
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Hurricanes at Capitals picks and predictions
Prediction
Hurricanes 4, Capitals 2
Moneyline
The Canes have won 5 straight and 8 of 9, but they’re on a back-to-back, and there’s no way I’d consider their -200 ML.
Instead, I’m going to take a chance here. Ovechkin has 5 goals in 3 games, and 3 of those came on the power play over the last 2. ALEX OVECHKIN OVER 0.5 POWER-PLAY POINTS (+250) gives you the insurance of an assist in case he doesn’t net one. The Canes are 12th in PIMs in the league, and it’s worth the shot for 2½ times your wager.
Puck line/Against the spread
I usually shy away from the puck line, because at this point of the season, the odds are so juiced that you incur more risk than reward. The Canes have won 8 of 10, and 6 of those were by multiple goals. They’ve had 2 back-to-back scenarios in this window, and they answered on the back end with 7-2 wins each time.
Take the HURRICANES -1.5 (+125).
Over/Under
We’re projecting a push here, so I’m going to another profitable prop.
As mentioned, Jarvis has goals in 5 straight games and 6 during the stretch. So, he’s feeling it. Now, he scored on his only SOG Thursday, but he has 3+ shots in 3 of his last 5 games. Take SETH JARVIS OVER 2.5 SHOTS (+130) or his anytime goal prop is at +210.
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