Carolina Hurricanes @ Washington Capitals - April 10, 2025

Oh man, can you feel the excitement in the air? Divisional bragging rights are on the line when our beloved Carolina Hurricanes skate into Capital One Arena to face off against the Washington Capitals. It’s a classic showdown, and I can already hear the buzz from my fellow fans who live and breathe this rivalry!

Now, let’s break this down. The Capitals come into this matchup with a solid record of 49-19-9. But let’s be real for a second — they’ve struggled recently, going 2-5 SU in their last seven games. That’s not exactly the kind of momentum you want heading into a battle like this one. Meanwhile, our Canes have had their ups and downs too; they’ve lost three straight games but managed to rack up an impressive 12-5 record over their last 17 outings. Yeah, they’re looking for redemption!

Here’s where things get interesting: Washington’s offensive stats show they’re capable of putting pucks in the net with an average of 3.6 goals per game and boasting a decent shooting percentage of about 13%. However, it seems like that firepower has been dim lately — they were just schooled by the Islanders in a 4-1 loss. On top of that, their power play is only hitting at around 23%. Not ideal for playoff aspirations!

Carolina might not score as much (averaging about 3.3 goals per game), but they’ve been generating more shots (31.8) and controlling possession better than Washington with an outstanding corsi percentage of over 59%. Their recent performance also saw them go OVER the total in four out of their last five games, showing that when they do get it going offensively, they don’t hold back.

Defensively? Well, both teams have solid save percentages — Washington’s is at 90% while Carolina sits at around 89%. Yet I can’t ignore how each team has performed on special teams lately; Washington’s penalty kill stands at an admirable 81.5%, but Carolina’s is struggling slightly lower at nearly 84%.

Looking ahead to Thursday night’s tilt, my gut tells me we’re going to see Carolina step up and snag an upset victory over those Caps! They’re hungry for redemption after some tough losses and know how crucial these divisional matchups are.

So here’s what I’m predicting: Carolina will cover the spread as underdogs because if they pull off this win (and trust me; I believe they will!), they’ll definitely cover that spread! And while I love seeing goals fly in left and right during these games — I’m leaning towards betting under on total points for this one since both teams have shown inconsistency lately.

Don your lucky jerseys folks because we’re gearing up for what could be an exhilarating showdown between two passionate rivals! Go Canes!