2019-20 NHL – Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes Preview & Pick
THE FACTS
When is Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes taking place? Saturday 4th January, 2020 – 00:30 (UK)
Where is Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes taking place? PNC Arena, Raleigh
What channel is Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes on? Premier Sports
Where can I stream Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes? Premier Sport subscribers can stream this match live via Premier Player
Where can I get tickets for Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes? https://www.nhl.com/tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Washington Capitals 4 – 6 Carolina Hurricanes
THE TEAM NEWS
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
- Washington might sit at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with 59 points out of 41 matches but they are going through their worst stretch of form of the entire season. They suffered a 4-3 loss against the New York Islanders the last time out, and they have dropped three of their last four games.
- The Capitals do not have any confirmed absentees ahead of this contest, although they have two players listed as doubtful. Defenceman Christian Djoos and center Nic Dowd are both questionable, and both will be game-time decisions for the coaching staff.
- Alex Ovechkin will be Washington’s player to watch, as the Russian star is now riding a four-game point streak with two goals and two assists over that span. He is having another strong season since he’s already at 24 goals and 15 assists (39 points) in 41 games this season.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
- Carolina have bounced back from poor form to win two in a row after losing three straight contests and are coming off a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. They are in fifth place of the Eastern Conference standings with 50 points out of 40 games.
- The Hurricanes will be at full strength ahead of this contest. Therefore, the coaching staff will be able to field a strong unit against one of the top teams in the NHL this season.
- One player to keep an eye on the Carolina roster will be Andrei Svechnikov. The 19-year-old winger has four goals in his last seven contests, and he is already at 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games this season. He’s scoring at an impressive rate considering he’s just three months away from turning 20 years old.
THE PREDICTION
If we look at the standings, there’s no question the Capitals should be listed as favourites since they sit at the top of the Eastern Conference whilst also posting the best attacking line – 146 goals, 3.56 per game – but they are on a two-game losing run. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are on a two-game winning streak and have been composed on both ends of the ice this season. Carolina currently own the joint sixth-best attack and the fourth-best defence in the Conference. This could be a tight game where form and home-field advantage might be needed to determine the winner and, judging by that perspective, then the Hurricanes should be listed as slight favourites.
