For the second time this season, the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes will meet. When they last met on Nov. 28, 2021 in Raleigh, things were much different for the Caps. They won that matchup 4-2.
We don’t have to explain too much on why this is a must win game for the Caps. You already knew that. Anybody that losses six straight at home has a must win for that seventh game. But it’ll be a challenge.
The Hurricanes are first in the Metropolitan Division with a 37-11-5 record and 79 points. The Caps occupy the second Wild Card spot with a 28-18-9 record and 65 points. Just eight points separate the Caps from the Columbus Blue Jackets and they’ve done the Caps no favors by getting hot lately.
Alex Ovechkin has earned 96 points with 44 goals and 52 assists in 82 career games against the Hurricanes, marking the most points he has earned against a single franchise. No active player has more goals, assists and points against the Canes than Ovechkin, and his 44 goals only trail Michel Goulet (62 goals) and Dave Andreychuk (52 goals) for the most against the franchise in NHL history.
Through games played March 1, Ovechkin is tied for eighth in the NHL in points with 64 and tied for fourth in goals with 32. John Carlson is eighth among defensemen in points with 43. Carlson has recorded points in six of his last eight games with a goal and eight assists.
Other Caps who have been hot have been centers. Nicklas Backstrom is on a two game point and assist streak while Evgeny Kuznetsov has two assists in two of his last three games.
The Caps are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In that defeat, Tom Wilson scored twice which was his second multi goal game of the season and first since Nov. 8 against the Buffalo Sabres.
Wilson’s first goal came on the power play while his second was shorthanded. He became the 18th player in franchise history to score in each of those instances in the same game. In addition, with Ovechkin accomplishing the same feat on opening night against the New York Rangers, this marks the first time since the 1998 season this was accomplished twice in the same season. Peter Bondra did it twice first on Feb. 7, 1998 vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning and April 19, 1998 against Carolina.
With the recent injury news going on, and even worse these things coming during practice, don’t be surprised to see Anthony Mantha make a return to the lineup tonight. I’m sure they were planning on having him later but after Carl Hagelin’s eye surgery, things changed quickly.
Date: 3/3/22
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena
What Channel Is The Capitals Game On: ESPN plus and Hulu
Radio: 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7
Betting Odds: The Hurricanes vs. Capitals betting odds on WynnBET have the Capitals as +1.5 point underdogs at home. The moneyline is set at +110 for the Capitals and -130 for the Hurricanes. The over/under for tonight’s game is 6.0.
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