Capitals vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Capitals Odds | +188 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -230 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -138 / +112 |
The Hurricanes will look to shake off an ugly 6-5 overtime loss as they host the Capitals early on Sunday evening.
The winner of this matchup will hold the final Eastern wild-card spot, which is not a situation anybody expected from these teams a third of the way into the 2023-24 season.
Oddsmakers still view the Hurricanes as a cup contender despite their slow start, and they price them as heavy -230 favorites in a favorable scheduling spot.
Here's my look at the Capitals vs. Hurricanes odds and prediction for Sunday, Dec. 17.
Washington Capitals
Things have certainly changed in Washington. None of the stars from the team's near-decade-long run of dominance is helping the team succeed this season.
Alex Ovechkin is a shell of his former self, and he has seen his skating and stick-handling abilities take significant steps backward.
Spending much of his even-strength minutes playing alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov hasn't helped things for Ovechkin either. Kuznetsov continues to put forth highly inconsistent play, and he has been a clear disappointment again.
T.J. Oshie continues to have a hard time staying healthy, and playing through so many injuries has taken its toll.
The lack of dynamic offensive ability from those stars has been most prominent in the Caps' power play, which continues to be one of the simplest to prepare for in the league. They have succeeded on just 10% of attempts this season – the most stagnant look in the league.
Those flaws help mask what has otherwise been a solid team game from the Capitals this season. They have consistently put forth well-organized efforts. You can't criticize new head coach Spencer Carbery, who has gotten the most out of a roster that has fallen past its prime.
The Capitals own a -11 goal differential, however, and by most indicators, they're not as strong as a 14-9-4 record suggests.
Elite play in goal from Charlie Lindgren has been another major factor in the Capitals' surprisingly strong results. He will likely rest Sunday having played yesterday night in Nashville though, which will draw in Darcy Kuemper.
Kuemper has played to a -0.7 GSAx and .892 save % across 14 appearances this season.
Carolina Hurricanes
During coach Rod Brind'Amour's Hurricanes tenure, his side has been one of the NHL's most consistent teams – to the point where a 16-12-2 record seems a complete disappointment, which has drawn significant ire from the roster.
Whether their play is necessarily worthy of this much criticism is debatable.
With Andrei Svechnikov sidelined, it's fair to say that the Hurricanes lack finishing talent compared to other contending teams. That loss can help be negated by a return to form from Martin Necas, who has put up four points in three games this week, and he could be turning the corner after a surprisingly poor start.
The Hurricanes' defensive play has taken a step backward from when it was the very best the league had to offer, but it's still been excellent. The team's 2.43 xGA/60 ranks fifth best in the league this season. Aside from Friday's disappointing performance versus Nashville, their defensive play has looked sharp recently.
The reality is that the majority of the Hurricanes' struggles really do come down to suffering from the league's lowest save percentage of only .872.
Pyotr Kochetkov will start for Carolina today, though, and he enters this matchup in a better spell of play. He has stopped 80 of 85 (.941%) of shots faced across his last three starts.
That save percentage hides the fact that he still let in some soft goals, but it also alludes to just how capable Carolina is of holding the opposition to nothing of substance.
Capitals vs. Hurricanes
Betting Pick & Prediction
All the signs are there that the Hurricanes are still the perennial powerhouse we are accustomed to seeing. That should not surprise anybody; the roster is by no means worse than it has been in years prior.
If Carolina gets the saves the team is supposed to, this game can easily be noncompetitive.
The Capitals' offensive upside is limited, and it is unlikely they will generate much of substance versus an elite defensive team in leg two of a back-to-back situation.
Kochetkov has put forth three livable outings in a row, which is encouraging ahead of this matchup. Stopping the ones he is supposed to and nothing else will be plenty for the Canes here.
You could bet Carolina to win the game at the -240, or if you prefer less chalky bets, going with the puck line at +100 is a strong bet.
Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (+112 at FanDuel) | Play to -110
