Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
In this head-to-head clash, the teams will battle it out to determine who is ready to take the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, currently occupied by the New Jersey Devils. The Carolina Hurricanes have been nearly flawless at home, while the Washington Capitals have often been a formidable visitor, but this time the roles are reversed.
Washington Capitals
However, two of their recent four away losses occurred this week. It should be noted in their defence that these were back-to-back matches, first against another home powerhouse, the Dallas Stars (1:3), and then the Capitals were exploited by the Chicago Blackhawks (2:3). Now, they are back on home ice, where the team have been performing well at Capital One Arena (9-4-2). Only in mid-November did they falter (0-3-1), but they have found their rhythm in the last three games (2-0-1). Even then, just once was the opposition’s lead more than by a single goal (2:4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins). Against the Colorado Avalanche (1:2) and New Jersey Devils (2:3), the Capitals were still adjusting after losing Alex Ovechkin. The captain will still be absent, yet they have grown accustomed to managing without him.
Carolina Hurricanes
Following a successful home series (3-1-0), the Carolina Hurricanes head out on the road. But whom did they beat during these successes? They faced teams languishing at the bottom—the San Jose Sharks (3:2), Columbus Blue Jackets (4:1), and New York Islanders (4:0). However, they lost to the Ottawa Senators, who reached the wild-card spot (0:3), largely due to an outstanding performance by Linus Ullmark. The Hurricanes also boast solid goaltending (90.2%), comparable to Pyotr Kochetkov (90.2%), who remains their mainstay. Plus, they have been struggling away, with four straight losses, only one of which was in a shootout.
Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction
Recent defeats should prompt the Capitals coaches and players to put in hard work during the short break, but it was just a blip—few teams can truly overcome them. We believe the current Carolina Hurricanes side might push things to extra time at best.
