Capitals vs Hurricanes Picks and Predictions: Backing the Red-Hot, Plus-Money Caps

A pair of Metro foes will face off tonight at PNC Arena as the Washington Capitals visit the Carolina Hurricanes.

Both clubs played last night but although the Capitals were the only team to win, the potential loss of T.J. Oshie could be a major issue for the visitors.

Can the Hurricanes bounce back after a loss in Toronto last night and a quick cross-border turnaround tonight? Can the Caps pick up their fourth straight win after collecting 13 of a possible 14 points over their last seven games?

Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Capitals vs. Hurricanes.

Capitals vs Hurricanes odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Carolina opened at -150 on the moneyline and has moved slightly to -160 with a total of 6. Washington won 4-0 at home two weeks ago in the previous meeting as +110 dogs with a closing total of 6.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

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Capitals vs Hurricanes predictions

• Prediction: Capitals ML (+140)
• Prediction: Under 6 (-110)
• Best bet: Carlson Over 0.5 points (-120)

Predictions made on 3/18/2022 at 10:10 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Capitals vs Hurricanes game info

• Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Date: Friday, March 18, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: BSSO, NBCS-DC+, NHL Network

Capitals vs Hurricanes betting preview

Key injuries

Capitals: T.J. Oshie F (Questionable).
Hurricanes: Jordan Martinook F (Questionable), Tony DeAngelo D (Out). 
Find our latest NHL injury reports.

Capitals vs Hurricanes head-to-head record since 2018-19

Capitals: 10-6 SU, 50 goals for.
Hurricanes: 6-10 SU, 39 goals for.

Betting trend to know

The Underdog is 5-2 SU in the last seven meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Capitals vs. Hurricanes.

Capitals vs Hurricanes picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Moneyline analysis

The Washington Capitals might still be in eighth place in the East, but they're starting to make some noise. They're just six points out of third place in the conference and have collected 13 of a possible 14 points over their last seven games with that only blemish being an OT loss to the Oilers. They shut out the Hurricanes just two weeks ago, 4-0, and have the best point percentage in hockey in the month of March. 

Over that stretch, they have been getting plenty of offense as well as solid goaltending. They’re scoring 4.43 goals per game over their last seven and holding teams to just 2.57 goals per match. The power play has 11 goals over its last nine games and the penalty kill has done its job as well with an 85% kill rate.

This is a Washington team that is getting into playoff form and has won each of the four last meetings including both this season.

The Caps did get some bad news after their 7-2 thumping of the Blue Jackets last night when forward T.J. Oshie exited in the third period. His attendance tonight is questionable and although his loss is significant as he plays PP1 and rides shotgun with Nick Backstrom, the Caps have dealt with Oshie being unavailable multiple times this season and are comfortable playing without him.

Vitek Vanecek picked up the victory last night and pushed his March record to 6-0 SU, so Peter Laviolette will likely go with Ilya Samsonov tonight. Samsonov hasn’t been at Vanacek’s level of late, but might be worth the ride at +140 facing a team that lost to a rookie goalie last night and has to travel across the border to get back home.

Carolina comes into tonight’s match having dropped two straight games as the offense is starting to go stale. The Canes have scored 20 goals over their last nine games and have failed to score more than three goals in any of those games. The power play is 0 for its last 10 and faces a Washington team that is hot and has had success against them this season.

To their benefit, they have won seven straight games at home and have taken 25 of a possible 26 points over their last 13 home games, but their home dominance is baked into this price and Washington has already beaten this team at home as +140 dogs earlier in the season. 

Antti Raanta is one of the better backup goalies in hockey and has been solid over his last four starts, but playing in Toronto last night and Carolina today may prove difficult on the routine.

Ultimately, this game comes down to price. Traveling back home from Canada to turn around and play that day is a rough schedule spot for the Canes whose offense isn’t in peak form right now. Carolina has the edge in net but isn’t enough for us to hit the Hurricanes at -160 despite their success at home.

Washington has been one of the best teams over the last three weeks and has won both matchups this season. We aren’t emptying the account here but think there is some meat on the bone for the Caps’ ML here in what we project to be a close game. 

Prediction: Capitals ML (+140)

Over/Under analysis

No home game sees fewer goals scored than Carolina’s as the Canes are totaling just 5.69 goals per game on home ice. The Hurricanes are 6-0 to the Under in their last six home games while posting a season record of 9-18-1 O/U on the season. 

With the Canes’ offense failing to score more than three goals since February 25, the Canes are 6-0-1 to the Under across their last seven and 1-8-1 O/U in their last 10. Raanta has been stingy at home with a 1.62 GAA across eight home starts and although those numbers are due for regression, his play at home has us feeling the Under tonight.

A big part of the Washington offense is its power play that has been clicking at nearly 25% since the start of the calendar year. Alex Ovechkin and the Caps could struggle to score with the man advantage as the Canes have the best penalty kill in hockey and have allowed just one PP goal over their last six games. 

The Capitals are no stranger to defensive hockey of late, either. Washington has allowed more than three goals in regulation just three times over the last 30 days and ranks inside the Top 12 in GAA and shots against over that stretch.

The Capitals have ripped off six straight Overs heading into this matchup but that’s been mostly due to an offense that has scored at least four goals in six of its last seven. Carolina has the best GAA on home ice this season at 2.37 and only one team has scored more than two goals versus the Canes at home over their last 10 games.

Samsonov is the biggest factor here but with Carolina squeezing the stick a bit and failing to get pucks past Toronto rookie goalie Erik Kellgren last night, we like his chances to keep things tight in what could be a physical game between division foes. 

Prediction: Under 6 (-110)

Best bet

In the last meeting, the Capitals produced 16 of their 33 shots from the blue line as Laviolette’s team tossed a lot of rubber on the net from the outside. This was likely not by accident as Carolina is one of the best shot-suppressing teams in hockey and getting quality shots in high-danger spots is not easy; hence the D-men stacking shots on net.

Over their recent seven-game stretch of great hockey, the Capitals’ John Carlson has seven assists and leads the team in time on ice. If Washington is going to steal a point it’s going to need some help from the blue line and with Carlson getting most of the PP time, it starts with him. He’s assisted on 23% of the team’s last 31 goals and is second on the team in points with 18 over the Caps’ last 18 contests. He also has four points over the last two meetings. 

Pick: Carlson Over 0.5 points (-120)

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