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Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes Pick
The Hurricanes have a chore on their hands tonight. After getting pushed around in Montreal, they head home for a date with the Capitals. That’s not the most fun homecoming a team could have, but it could be a momentum boost if they can forget about last night and knock off the Capitals on Thursday night. That is one way to look at it. After losing to the Canadiens last night, the Hurricanes have fallen to 13-13-3.
They’ve been getting pucks on net this season at a clip of 38.1 shots per game. That puts them firmly in 1st in the NHL. However, it doesn’t always translate into goals. The Hurricanes have been finding out the hard way in 2018-19, with only 2.5 goals scored per game. In their last ten games, they’ve scored barely over 2 goals per game. In an era of high-scoring, it’s going to be hard to win games like that. Like I said, McElhinney regressing hard or getting injured could signal a disaster for the Hurricanes in 2019.
While the Hurricanes haven’t been able to score, especially recently, the Capitals have been making it look easy with their offensive prowess. They’ve been looking like a Stanley Cup winner with a record of 8-2 in their previous ten games. They’ve gone 10-2 in their last twelve contests. The hangover has been officially cured in Washington.
It’s been a complete effort for the Caps, as the offence has been flying around and Braden Holtby has been hot after a slow start. Washington have notched 4.4 goals per game, while allowing 2.5 goals per game in their previous ten tilts. I’m not so concerned with who is in net for the Hurricanes. McElhinney would be the best option by a wide margin, but I’m still confident in the Capitals getting it done against the Canes who are on a back-to-back. The averages should balance out in this matchup, with the Capitals celebrating a win by the end of the evening in Raleigh.
