Following a win the night before in Boston over the Bruins, the Washington Capitals are back in action tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. This contest marks the third of four regular season meetings between the Metropolitan Division rivals. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network, TNT, truTV and MAX. You can also listen to the game on 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7.
The Capitals vs Hurricanes betting odds per Caesars have the Capitals as 1.5 goal underdogs on the road. Washington has +180 moneyline odds while the Hurricanes are the underdog at -220. Tonight's over/under is set at 5.5 goals.
#3 Dylan Strome
Dylan Strome scored a goal and recorded his team leading 48th assist of the season on Tuesday at Boston. Strome has tallied four points with a goal and three assists in his last two games. He has assisted on 18 of Alex Ovechkin's 38 goals this season. Since joining the Capitals ahead of 2022-23, no other player has assisted more on Ovi goals than Strome, with 44.
Strome's 72 points this season with 24 goals and 48 assists are a career high. He has set a new career high in points for a third consecutive season. Since joining the Caps, Strome ranks first on the team in games played with 237 and assists with 130 while second in goals with 74 and pionts with 204.
Strome is on pace for 79 points this season after recording 67 a season ago which led the Caps. Strome leads the Caps in points, assists, and powe play points with 28 this season. He has recorded 15 points with five goals and 10 assists in 20 career games against Carolina with five goals and 10 assists.
That stretch also includes a team leading eight points with one goal and seven assists in six games against the Hurricanes dating back to last season.
#2 Tom Wilson
Tom Wilson scored his 32nd goal of the season last night agaisnt the Bruins. Wilson's 32 goals are a career high and rank second on Washington, trailing only Alex Ovechkin who has 38 goals. The tally marked Wilson's 28th career game winning goal which tied him with T.J. Oshie and Alexander Semin for the 11th most in franchise history.
Wilson turned 31 on Sunday and has recorded a career high 61 points with 32 goals and 29 assists in 73 games this season. His 0.84 points per game rate this season is the highest of his career. In his last 23 games, Wilson has recorded 26 points with 12 goals and 14 assists.
For the week ending March 9, Wilson was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week. On March 5 at the New York Rangers, Wilson scored his fifth career overtime goal to give the Capitals a 3-2 win. Wilson also had his second career Gordie Howe hat trick on March 3 against the Ottawa Senators as he had a goal and an assist as well as five penalty minutes.
The other Gordie Howe hat trick from Wilson happened earlier this season on Oct. 31, 2024 against the Montreal Canadiens. Wilson leads the Capitals and ranks 18th in the NHL in hits with 208. Wilson is the only player in the NHL with 30 plus goals and 200 or more hits.
#1 Alex Ovechkin
Tonight's contest marks the third of four regular season meetings between the teams this season. The teams have split the first two games with the home team winning each time. Washington defeated Carolina 3-1 on Dec. 20 at Capital One Arena while Alex Ovechkin scored in a 4-2 loss in Raleigh on Nov. 3.
The Capitals and Hurricanes will complate their season series in eight days on April 10 in D.C. Ovechkin scored his 891st career goal in the win over Boston. Ovi has scored in back to back games. He's four goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky.
Ovechkin has scored 38 goals in 58 games this season which is good for a 0.66 goals per game rate and he also has 16 goals in his last 24 games. Ovechkin enters the season 42 goals shy of passing Gretzky and is on pace to score 43 goals this season.
At 39 years old, Ovechkin ranks tied for fourh in the NHL in goals despite misssing 16 games due to injury. The Caps have eight regular season games remaining and five of them are on the road. Ovechkin has 454 road goals while he's lit the lamp 437 times on home ice.
Ovechkin is the NHL's all time leader in road goals and has scored 20 of his 38 goals this season away from Capital One Arena. The goal on Tuesday marked Ovechkin's 416th goal since his 30th birthday. He passed Gordie Howe for the most goals in NHL history at age 30 or older.
Ovechkin's 0.56 goals per game rate since turning 35 is the highest in NHL history. Gretzky had a goals per game rate of 0.25 after turning 35. His 38 goals are the third most in one season by a player age 39 or older in NHL history.