The Washington Capitals (27-9-5) visit the Metropolitan Division-rival Carolina Hurricanes (24-14-2) Friday at PNC Arena for a 7:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Capitals-Hurricanes sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Capitals at Hurricanes: Projected starting goalies
Ilya Samsonov vs. Petr Mrazek
Samsonov is riding a personal five-game win streak dating back to Nov. 30. The backup to Braden Holtby has been the better of the two this year, going 10-2-1 with a .918 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average.
Mrazek won each of his last two outings, including a Dec. 28 game against these Capitals in which he allowed four goals on 29 shots. He is 16-8-2 for the year with a .903 SV% and 2.67 GAA.
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Capitals at Hurricanes: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Capitals 3, Hurricanes 1
Moneyline (ML)
The division-leading CAPITALS (+115) are getting plus-money on the road. They’ve dropped two straight, including the 6-4 loss to the Hurricanes, but they’re still 16-5-1 on the road for the year. The Hurricanes (-139) have won both meetings with the Caps this year and are coming off a 3-1 home win over the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday.
The Hurricanes lead the league in both Corsi (percentage of total shot attempts) and percentage of scoring chances at 5-on-5, but the Capitals are also in the top-10 in both metrics. Washington has lost three straight games just once all year. Back the visitors.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Caps to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $11.50.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
PASS. Stick with the moneyline bet on the underdog Capitals rather than laying -228 for the single goal of insurance on the spread (+1.5, -228). Holtby drew the start in both of the previous losses to the Hurricanes this year. The switch to Samsonov will prove beneficial.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the UNDER 6.5 (-139) with Samsonov allowing just over 2 goals per game. The two prior meetings between the two this year played to either side of this number.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 151-122
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