The Carolina Hurricanes are set to play their fifth game in nine nights when they head to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Capitals tonight.
The Caps have defeated the 'Canes all three times that they've met this season and are hoping for another win as they try to catch the Rangers in the standings. Despite this continued success, oddsmakers have them listed as home underdogs at Capital One Arena.
Can the Caps keep dominating the 'Canes? Our free NHL betting picks and predictions for Monday, March 28 investigate.
Hurricanes vs Capitals odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Washington Capitals opened up as +110 home underdogs, the line moved to +115 but is now back at +110. The total opened up at 6 and hasn’t had any movement by the time of this writing.
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.
Hurricanes vs Capitals predictions
Predictions made on 3/28/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2021-22 NHL season, here are two of the best bonuses available:
USA: New user big boost: Bet $1 on any NHL moneyline at DraftKings and get $150 in free bets if your team wins! Sign Up Now
Canada: Bet on any team to win a game involving a Canadian team at Betway — if they jump out to a 2-0 lead, you get paid out as a winner, regardless of the final result! Claim Now
Hurricanes vs Capitals game info
• Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
• Date: Monday, March 28, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: NHL Network
Hurricanes vs Capitals betting preview
Key injuries
Hurricanes: Jordan Martinook F (Out).
Capitals: Carl Hagelin F (Out), Nic Dowd F (Questionable), Johan Larsson F (Out), Trevor van Riemsdyk D (Out), Joe Snively F (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Hurricanes vs Capitals head-to-head record since 2019-20
Hurricanes: 2-4-1 SU, 17 goals for.
Capitals: 5-1-1 SU, 23 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Hurricanes are 2-7 in their last nine meetings in Washington. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Capitals.
Hurricanes vs Capitals 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 come into this contest on a two-game winning streak and have really picked up their play over the last 10 games. The Caps sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan division and are five points behind the Rangers, six back from Pittsburgh, and nine away from their opponent tonight, the first-place Carolina Hurricanes. This is a massive game for the Capitals on home ice where they are 16-13-5 straight up on the season.
This game is just as important for the Hurricanes, but they have not had the best luck against Washington this season. In the three games these teams have played, the 'Canes are 0-2-1 SU and have been outscored 11-5. The Capitals completely dominated the last meeting on March 18. The 'Canes were outshot 40-20 and were lucky their backup, Antti Raanta, played as well as he did. Even though Raanta played great in that game — and he also played well in the team’s last game against St. Louis — tonight’s starter will most likely be Frederik Andersen, who has been one of the best goalies in the league this season.
Andersen has been a huge reason why the Hurricanes are the best defensive team in the league, allowing only 2.37 goals per game with the best penalty kill in the league, fending off 89.2% of their penalties. The 'Canes are so impressive in their own end but for whatever reason, the Capitals haven’t struggled to generate offense against them. The Caps have the 11th best team offense as they average 3.27 gpg, which is outperforming their expected goals per 60 minutes that currently sits at 2.88. Carolina has been a slightly better offensive team as it currently ranks ninth in the league, averaging 3.31 gpg with a 3.39 xGF.
The Hurricanes have regressed a bit as of late and that gives the Capitals a chance to exploit them on home ice. The Caps have won their last five games against divisional opponents, and they know how important each game is this time of year, especially against rivals in the playoff standings. I think the Caps take care of home ice against a 'Canes team that has been inconsistent as of late.
Prediction: Capitals ML (+110)
Over/Under analysis
There is no doubt that the Hurricanes are the better defensive team in this matchup, while also having the better goaltending. As I previously stated, Andersen has been one of the league's top goalies. He is skating to a 31-10-3 record with a .926 save percentage and a second-best 30.0 GSAx. The Caps' goaltending might not be as strong, but it is not something to ignore. They have a solid one-two punch between Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek.
They haven’t announced a starter yet, but either option is a good one. I think it will be Samsonov, who is 19-9-4 this season with a .899 save percentage and a -7.7 GSAx. But Vanecek got the start in the team's last game against the Devils and played fantastic, stopping 35 of 38 shots. Vanecek is putting up better numbers this season as he is 17-9-5 with a .917 save percentage and a 0.9 GSAx.
Both teams are at the top of the league in defensive proficiency. The 'Canes are ranked first and the Capitals are eleventh. They both also have some offensive firepower, but in a divisional matchup between two teams in the playoff hunt this late in the season, the games tend to be played a little tighter defensively.
The goalies should be able to hold their own and both teams will be focused more on defense than offense. This one will stay Under the total.
Prediction: Under 6 (+100)
Best bet
It's not an easy thing to sweep the regular season set against the Hurricanes, but the Capitals are only one win away from achieving this feat. They're trending in the right direction and this core group knows what it takes this time of year. Alex Ovechkin has goals in back-to-back games and is inching closer to scoring 50 for the ninth time as he currently has 42 on the year. And as a team, the Caps have scored 10 goals in their last three games and will look to carry the offensive momentum into tonight’s game.
The 'Canes may have scored 13 goals in their last three games, but it has been a theme that they struggle to score against the Capitals this season, and they have lost five straight against their division rival dating back to last season.
There is great value on the Caps as a home underdog as they've been playing some fantastic hockey of late. They’re scoring goals, getting solid goaltending, and beating good opponents. They do a great job limiting their opponents' high-danger chances and in the three meetings this season, the 'Canes have yet to score a power-play goal, going 0-for-8 total. This is a great spot to take the Capitals, as they are the more desperate team playing with a ton of urgency.
Pick: Capitals ML (+110)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NHL Hurricanes vs. Capitals picks, you could win $32.00 on a $10 bet?
Use our NHL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
