The Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes have both struggled to generate offense this year, but our NHL betting picks believe that Sebastian Aho won't be held off the scoresheet on Sunday night.
NHL
A couple of Metropolitan Division rivals square off tonight at PNC Arena when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Washington Capitals as heavy favorites in the NHL odds.
Carolina has certainly struggled this season but comes into tonight’s contest on a three-game point streak, picking up five of a six possible points over that span, and has a good chance to keep the run going against a Washington team playing on back-to-back nights.
Find out if the hosts can keep their streak going in our Capitals vs. Hurricanes NHL picks and predictions for Sunday, December 17.
It’s been a bit of a strange season for both the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, with both teams falling short of expectations so far. The Hurricanes won the Metropolitan Division last season and finished second overall in the NHL standings but cling onto a Wild Card spot right now, while the Capitals are a couple points out of playoff position.
A lack of offense has been an issue for both clubs. The Canes rank 14th in the league in goals per game (3.27) while the Caps rank 30th (2.44) while getting just five goals from Alex Ovechkin in 27 games. Meanwhile, Sebastian Aho leads Carolina with just 26 points in 27 games — half of what Nikita Kucherov has tallied to lead the league in points at this stage.
That’s culminated in a lot of low-scoring games for these teams, as the Capitals have totaled six goals or fewer in three of their last four and eight of their last 11 outings, while the Hurricanes have seen six or less in four of their previous seven contests.
This will be the first meeting between Carolina and Washington this season but each of the last three have finished with five goals or fewer. I’m expecting a similarly low-scoring contest tonight, which is why I’m taking the Under on 6 goals as my best bet.
My best bet: Under 6 (-112 at DraftKings)
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Under 6.5
Sebastian Aho anytime scorer
Hurricanes to score first
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Along with taking the Under on 6.5 goals, I’ll also look for Aho to score and the Hurricanes to break the ice as part of tonight’s same-game parlay.
Aho leads the Canes with 11 goals this season and added to his tally on Friday against the Predators. The forward has three goals in his last three games and a team-leading five goals in December.
The Canes have scored first in 14 of their 30 games this season, going 9-4-1 in those contests, while the Caps have opened the scoring just nine times in 27 outings, so it’s likely the hosts break the ice tonight.
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The Hurricanes skate into tonight’s game as a massive favorite on home ice, opening at -235 on the moneyline with the total set at 6. While I don’t think Carolina is a runaway favorite, I think the Canes should get the job done in a low-scoring battle.
Carolina’s biggest issue this season has been goaltending as the club ranks dead last in team save percentage at .876. The team itself has actually been pretty solid defensively, though, allowing just 2.29 expected goals against per 60 minutes at five on five, which ranks third in the NHL.
Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to start in net for the Hurricanes and he’s been excellent over his last two outings, allowing just two goals on a combined 58 shots. If he can make the saves he should make, the hosts should control the flow of play and take two points.
The offense has really dried up for the Capitals this year with Ovechkin not able to supply his usual amount of goals so far. Dylan Strome has had a renaissance with a team-high 12 goals in 27 games, but only he and Tom Wilson have hit double-digits for Washington, leaving the club with just 66 goals on the year — the second-lowest mark in the NHL.
Washington is averaging just 2.50 GPG over its last eight outings — if that trend continues, we should see another low-scoring game that cashes the Under.
The Under is 4-2 in the last six meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Capitals vs. Hurricanes.
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After writing a few pieces for the Varsity newspaper during his time at the University of Toronto, Chris Faria’s career in sports truly began in 2019 when he attended the sports journalism program at Centennial College. Since then, he’s covered virtually every sport under the sun, having written for several different outlets including Covers and the Canadian Olympic Committee. A lifelong hockey fan and player, Chris currently works full-time for the National Hockey League.
Outside of hockey, he’s also an avid poker player and mixed martial arts fan, which is coincidentally his favorite sport to bet on – usually in the form of a parlay on bet365. The main lesson he’s learned from years of betting is bankroll management: “Never bet more than you’re comfortable losing and never chase your losses.”
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