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Top 3 ways Capitals can beat Hurricanes

A familiar face comes to town tonight

By Michael Marzzacco |
Nick Jensen, Washington Capitals
Nick Jensen, Washington Capitals / Patrick Smith/GettyImages
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Tonight the Washington Capitals welcome Evgeny Kuznetsov and the Carolina Hurricanes. Before we give you the top 3 keys to a Caps win against their division foes here's how to watch tonight's big Friday night tilt.

  • Date: Tonight
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Where: Capital One Arena
  • What Channel Is Capitals Game On: Monumental Sports Network and NHL Network
  • Radio: 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7
  • Betting Odds: Per Caesars, the Caps are 1.5 point underdogs with +170 moneyline odds while the Canes are favored at -205. The over/under is set at 6.0 goals.
  • Live Streaming: fuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable is required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.
  • Reddit: Reddit can sometimes have streams of live NHL games but make sure they are legal. The official NHL Subreddit is located at https://www.reddit.com/r/nhl/.

#3 Contain Canes offense

This goes without saying but the Caps defense needs to be on their A game tonight against a Hurricanes offense that's eighth in the league in goals scored.

Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals
Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals / Patrick Smith/GettyImages

#2 Next man up

The Capitals may or may not be without Tom Wilson as he gets another unwanted date with the NHL Department of Player Safety. It's an in person hearing. Fun.

An in person hearing means that Wilson could get suspended for up to six games or more. The crime he allegedly committed on the ice wasn't really a horrifying act of violence but the NHL says it's for high sticking Noah Gregor in the Caps 7-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice Wednesday night.

Whether Tom Wilson suits up or not it's a must win for the Caps. They are now three points back of the Detroit Red Wings. They'll see each other on Tuesday but in the meantime it's take care of home ice one game at a time. The Caps are also four back of the Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division.

Buckle up. The Caps beat the Pens in the second round in 2018 when Wilson got suspended due to the next man up mentality. If the Caps want to make the playoffs, they'll have to do it again whatever the NHLDOPS decides to do with the Wilson penalty.

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals / Patrick Smith/GettyImages

#1 Power playmaking

The Caps may have lost but Alex Ovechkin scoring on the power play lived on. Ovi added an even strength goal to boot. Since Feb. 8 the Caps have converted on 20 of 59 power play opportunitiies which is the highest power play percentage in the NHL in that span at 33.9 percent.

The Caps also own the second best power play percentage in the NHL since Jan. 1 at 28.9 percent. They went from 31st in power play percentage through the first 34 games of the season to 19th now at a power play percentage of 20.2 percent.

Alex Ovechkin leads the Casp with 11 power play goals while T.J. Oshie has seven. Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson are each tied for five PPGs while John Carlson, Conor McMichael, Sonny Milano, and Max Pacioretty each have two.

The Caps only lost three PPGs from Anthony Mantha when they dealt him to the Vegas Golden Knights for some draft picks. But no matter who they traded the Caps never skipped a beat on the power play. They've scored PPGs in seven straight games.

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