Capitals vs. Hurricanes Preview: March 26, 2019
Washington (44-24-8, 96 points) vs. Carolina (42-26-7, 91 points)
7 PM puck drop
Capital One Arena
The Washington Capitals play the last game of a four-game homestand as they face the Carolina Hurricanes. Fresh off a White House visit and a strong win against the Flyers, the Caps are ready to go as the playoff push picks up. Alex Ovechin is just two goals shy of another 50 goal season and has ample time to score that amount. Meanwhile, Carolina is backed by Sebastian Aho’s 30 goal performance and Petr Mrazek’s impressive goaltending, earning a .911 save percentage. These two teams know and despise each other. Exploiting each other’s weaknesses will be the key to victory for both squads.
The Capitals’ record is 44-24-8, with 96 points and a lead in the Metropolitan Division. The Caps can clinch a playoff spot with a win today. Despite trailing the Caps, the Canes are also a strong team. They have 91 points and a 42-26-7 record, locking up the first Wild Card. This competitive rivalry likely will not end with the two games played this regular season. If the playoffs were to start today, these same two teams would meet in the first round.
This is the first game of a back-to-back series, as the Caps travel to Carolina on Thursday for a rematch. Washington has won both prior meetings this season. One was an epic, back-and-forth, 6-5 shootout win on December 14. The next was on December 27 in Carolina. Though the Caps are in a prime position now, they need to maintain distance to ensure they don’t collapse too far come playoff time.
GAME NOTES:
If the Caps win tonight, and both the Canadiens and Blue Jackets lose in regulation, the Capitals will clinch an NHL playoff spot tonight!
The Capitals have recalled defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, who will be a healthy scratch as the seventh defenseman against the Hurricanes.
Caps expected lineup tonight:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson
Hagelin-Kuznetsov-Oshie
Vrana-Eller-Connolly
Burakovsky-Dowd-Boyd
Djoos-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Jensen
Braden Holtby between the pipes tonight.
Canes lines for tonight:
Niederreiter-Aho-Williams
Svechnikov-Staal-Teravainen
Ferland-Wallmark-Martinook
Foegele-McKegg-McGinn
Slavin-Hamilton
Pesce-Faulk
de Haan-van Riemsdyk
Petr Mrazek between the pipes for the Canes.
