In another round of NHL Predictions, we take a look at the Carolina Hurricanes travelling up to the U.S. Capital to take on the Washington Capitals. This is the third of four matchups between the two Metro Division rivals. Washington took the first one in a shootout (seeing then Cap and now Cane Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring) and Carolina took the second one 6-2.
Washington enters this one in the thick of a playoff push. Even though they sold at the trade deadline, including moving Kuznetsov to Carolina, they are still knocking at the door to make the playoffs. They are 6-4-0 in their last ten but come into this one following a 7-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The big news coming out of that one is that forward Tom Wilson was assessed a double minor for a blatant high stick that resulted in an in-person hearing with the NHL DOPS. Without Wilson here, Washington will have to lean on depth.
Meanwhile, Carolina continues their end-of-season run following an exciting trade deadline. Unless something crazy happens, they should make the playoffs and are likely to finish in first or second in the Metro Division. But this doesn’t mean they haven’t been playing some very strong hockey since the trade deadline. The addition of Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel have paid dividends early. This will be the second of a back-to-back after Carolina took on the Philadelphia Flyers at home Thursday night.
It could be another exciting matchup in the Nation’s Capital with one team looking to stay sharp for the playoffs and another looking to break through the playoff door. Here are three keys to a Carolina Hurricanes victory in this round of NHL Predictions.
NHL Predictions: Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals
Three Keys to Victory for Carolina
The Great Eight
There are some players around the league that you know are a threat when they are on the ice. And Washington has one in Alexander Ovechkin. Arguably one of the best goal scorers of all time is pushing the limits by racing to catch up with Wayne Gretzky‘s scoring record. Whether he will do it or not is one thing. But as Carolina has experienced time and time again, it’s no secret that the “Great Eight” can put the puck in the net.
He is tied for the team lead in goals (23), assists (31) and points (54). This includes 11 power play goals. And everyone knows about Ovi’s office when it comes to the power play. But yet he still converts. All of this still shows that no matter what else may be going on, in this one Carolina has to be watching Ovechkin and aware of him anytime he’s on the ice.
Get to the Middle
One thing that has been somewhat consistent is that when Washington loses the game commonly tends to end with many goals against. They have 3.10 goals against per game which is sort of at the middle of the league but still have a -31 goal differential. One key to scoring against the Capitals is getting to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone.
As seen in the charts below from HockeyViz.com, Washington tends to allow more shots from the blue line, top of the circles and at the doorstep. However, they give up the most goals from the middle of the ice. I.e. the area they give up the least chances. What this means is Carolina needs to attack this area of the ice both on the rush and in the zone on the cycle.
Keep Up the Net Protection
Since Frederik Andersen returned from injury, Carolina’s defence has been shutting down the opposition. Each of Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov and Spencer Martin have been doing their part and playing some pretty phenomenal hockey. But Carolina has seemed to have found their game which largely includes an aggressive and stifling defence. They don’t give much space to the opposition and limit chances. And then when the chances do get through, the goaltending has been there to provide the last line of defence.
In this one, Carolina needs to maintain this strong defensive play. This goes from the goalie all the way up to top-line forwards. It’s truly a team effort here and is what makes the difference. Washington is near the bottom of the league in goals for per game and Carolina doesn’t need to give them anything easy. With Andersen starting last night against the Flyers, Carolina most likely will turn to Kochetkov. With a 2.36 GAA and .913 SV%, Kochetkov has been a rock of late. But he can’t do it alone and the team needs to keep it up to win this one.
Prediction Time
Much like the Hurricanes last game against the Flyers, this is another matchup that sees a Hurricanes team looking to keep up their strong play against a Capitals team fighting for their playoff lives. Yeah, Washington sold at the deadline but are still finding ways to win games. Ovechkin is always a threat and Carolina needs to maintain its strong defence to stop the Capitals. But again this has the potential to be a good one.
Prediction: Carolina wins 4-2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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