NHL Predictions & Odds 2/18/23

Washington Capitals (28-23-6) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (36-10-8)
February 18, 2023 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Carolina Hurricanes -200 / Washington Capitals +165; Over/Under: +5.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes meet in NHL action from Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday as part of the NHL Stadium Series. Let’s dive into the odds, injuries, matchup history and make a prediction for this game.

Odds

Carolina is a -200 home favorite while Washington is a +165 road underdog with the total for this game set at 5.5 goals.

Injuries

For Washington, Marcus Johansson is questionable for this game with an undisclosed injury while Aliaksei Protas is out indefinitely with a personal issue. Alex Ovechkin is also out indefinitely with a personal issue while Tom Wilson, Nic Dowd and John Carlson are all out for the rest of the month at least. Carolina has Ondrej Kase listed as out with a concussion while Max Pacioretty is out for the season with an achilles injury.

Matchup History

Carolina’s 3-2 win over the Capitals back on February 14, 2023, made it three straight wins for the Hurricanes in this head-to-head matchup.

Trends

Washington is 2-5 in their last 7 games against a team with a winning record and 7-3 in their last 10 division games while the under is 4-0-1 in their last 5 games against a team with a winning record. Carolina is 26-7 in their last 33 games overall and 44-20 in their last 64 games against a team with a losing record while the over is 9-2 in their last 11 division games.

Pick

I’m backing the under in this one. I initially liked Carolina, but these outdoor games and the ice surface issues that come along with it can make it very tricky to be able to execute properly and a lot of times that makes goals come at a premium. Washington also didn’t need to be put behind the 8 ball any more than they already are without Alex Ovechkin. I’ll back the under in a sloppy outdoor game.