Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes Expert Picks
Carolina will get their revenge for opening night and get the win on Tuesday, with Sebastian Aho scoring and fourth-liner Mark Jankowski scoring in his fifth straight game
The Washington Capitals visit the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center at 6:45 p.m. ET, 11 days after spoiling the Canes' opener with a 5-2 win in the same building. Carolina haven't lost since, winning five straight and outscoring teams 25-11.
I'm backing the Hurricanes because they've turned into the team that controls every game they play. They're outshooting opponents by more than 10 a night, their penalty kill is at 92.9%, and Washington arrive without Pierre-Luc Dubois after a loss on Sunday.
Aho is the player I want with them. He's scored in each of his last two games and in five of seven this season, and he plays almost five minutes a night on the top power-play unit.
I'm also taking Jankowski as a long shot to respect the trend. He's a fourth-liner, but he's scored in four straight games, and at this price I'm happy to ride it.
For more player bets across tonight's slate, check out my best NHL props before puck drop.
Key Stats and Trends
- Carolina have won five straight, with four of those wins by two goals or more.
- No team has put more than 27 shots on Carolina this season.
- Washington's power play has scored twice in 13 chances.
- Jankowski has goals in four straight games, and Aho has goals in five of seven.
Capitals Form
Washington's power play is the weak spot of their start. The Caps have scored twice in 13 chances, and that puts a lot of pressure on their five-on-five game to carry them.
Sunday's 5-3 loss to Seattle showed how fine that margin is. Boone Jenner tied it 46 seconds into the third period, but the Kraken scored twice in the last six minutes, and Logan Thompson gave up five on 27 shots despite the Caps outshooting them 36-27. Two nights earlier, Thompson was the reason they beat the Rangers 3-1, making 21 saves while Jenner scored the winner late in the second.
Dubois won't travel because of an illness, according to NHL.com, and Matt Roy has been placed on injured reserve.
Hurricanes Form
The number that tells Carolina's story is 21.4 shots allowed a game. Washington's 27 shots in the opener are still the most anyone has managed against them, and the Canes have turned that control into five straight wins.
They've been at their best in bursts. In Chicago on Saturday, they scored three times in four minutes early in the second period on the way to a 5-2 win. On Sunday in Philadelphia, they were scoreless after one before Andrei Svechnikov, Shayne Gostisbehere and Aho scored in under seven minutes, and Jankowski added his fourth goal in four games late in a 4-1 win.
Seth Jarvis remains on injured reserve through at least Oct. 24, per CBS Sports, and Carolina have kept rolling without him.