Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes - 12/28/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes

Date: Saturday, December 28, 2019

Location: PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC

TV: NSWA

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (+104) Hurricanes (-115)

Total/Over-Under: 6

Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals (26-7-5, 1st in the Metropolitan Division) are headed to PNC Arena on Saturday where they'll take on the Carolina Hurricanes (22-13-2, 4th in the Metropolitan Division). The Capitals open this matchup at +104 while the Hurricanes are coming in at -115. The total is set at 6. The Capitals are covering 65.7% of the time, having gone 23-12 SU. The Hurricanes are covering 57.1% of the time, going 20-15 straight up.

The Washington Capitals step onto the ice with a record of 26 victories and 7 defeats, which puts them at 1st in the Metropolitan Division. During the season thus far, they have racked up a total of 134 goals which ranks them 1st in the Eastern Conference and 1st in the league. Their goal differential is +25, which puts them at 3rd in the league. The Capitals have earned a total of 57 pts, which ranks them 1st in the league and 1st in the Eastern Conference. When looking at shots at the opposing goalie, they have earned a total of 1,204 which ranks them 5th in the East and 10th in the league. As a unit, Washington has collected a total of 866 hits which means they have an average of 22.8 per contest. They have earned a total of 425 blocks for the year. The man looking after the net for Washington is Braden Holtby from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. He is 30 years old and has totaled 1,547 mins protecting the goal this season. Holtby is allowing an average of 2.87 GAA which has him ranking 17th in the East and 33rd in the NHL. For the year, he has given up 74 goals. His save % is .907 which has him ranking 19th in the East.

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The Washington Capitals will look for better times on the ice after their 7 - 3 loss to the Boston Bruins in their last contest. The Capitals had an average offensive output in the defeat. In this matchup, they earned a goal on 3 of the 42 shots they attempted. Furthermore, they had 5 power play attempts but weren't able to score a goal. Washington earned a total of 26 penalty minutes in this matchup. The Corsi for the Capitals sat at 47 and the Corsi against was 22 which means they earned a Corsi percentage of 68.1%. Their Fenwick sat at 35 while the Fenwick against was 17, which means they earned a rate of 67.3%. They won 20 face-off wins and lost 20 of the face-offs. Their offensive zone starts came in at 52.9% and they had a PDO at even strength of 73.6 in this one. Regarding their opponent, the Boston Bruins earned a total of 17 shots. They finished with a total of 14 minutes in the box and they notched 6 power play opportunities.

The Hurricanes will be on the other side of the ice and for the campaign they sit with 22 victories and 13 losses. Regarding goal differential, they rank 4th in the East and 6th in the NHL with +20. They have earned a total of 122 goals for the year which ranks them 6th in the East. Carolina has a save percentage as a team of .905 which currently has them ranked 16th in the NHL, which means there should be some opportunities to score. They have a shooting percentage of 9.7% ranking them 11th in the Eastern Conference. In goal for Carolina is Petr Mrazek who is having an ok year by allowing 2.69 GAA and that has him 12th in the East and 21st in the NHL among goaltenders. In the 1,408 mins he's been on the ice, he has given up 63 goals. He holds a save % of .902, which has him placed 24th in the East and 45th in the NHL among goaltenders.

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The Carolina Hurricanes faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game where the Hurricanes went home in defeat by a mark of 8 - 6. For this game, Carolina had a 45.5% Corsi rating. They got to that percentage by earning a Corsi of 46 while the opposition had a Corsi of 55. Their Fenwick rate was 46.5% with a Fenwick of 40 and the Maple Leafs earning a 46 Fenwick. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Carolina had and we'd say they played well overall. They had a PDO at even strength of 96.7 and they finished this one with an oZS percentage of 46.2%. The Hurricanes scored 6 goals out of the 40 shots on goal they attempted. They had 3 power play attempts in this one and were able to convert 1 out of those attempts. In discussing the opposition, the Maple Leafs had 4 power play opportunities and took advantage of the situation by scoring 2 goals. Carolina conceded 39 shots on goal and the Maple Leafs had a total of 6 penalty minutes.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Washington (+104)

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