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The Washington Capitals will seek to level their second-round series when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at the T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. It won’t be an easy task, as the Hurricanes are the betting favorites to win the 2025 Stanley Cup. Below, we preview match two between the Capitals and the Hurricanes and also name our NHL betting picks.
- What: NHL Play-Offs
- Who: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
- Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
- When: Thursday, May 8th, 2025
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Carolina Hurricanes are the betting favorites to win not just the Stanley Cup, but also the Eastern Conference.
In Game 1 of their second-round series on Tuesday, the Hurricanes underlined their favorites tag with a 2-1 overtime win over the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.
After being under considerable pressure throughout the opening period, Washington’s Aliaksei Protas opened the scoring against the run of play at 3:53 of the second.
Carolina tied the game at 9:42 of the third period when Logan Stankoven scored. The 22-year-old right winger was assisted by Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who capitalized on a turnover near the Capitals’ net.
With the score level, the match needed an extra period to decide the winner.
Jaccob Slavin secured the victory for Carolina at 3:06 into overtime with a shot from the right point that slipped through traffic and past goaltender Logan Thompson.
The win was well deserved. Carolina’s relentless offense resulted in 33 shots on goal while limiting Washington to just 14 shots. Hurricanes’ goaltender Frederik Andersen made 13 saves in his return from injury.
The Hurricanes’ Game 1 victory prompted a shift in the NHL Playoffs Odds, with their series price now shortened to -400. The Washington Capitals are out to +320.
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes Betting
As you can imagine, the best NHL betting sites favor a win for the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes are -135 to win on the money line, with the Capitals at +115.
Washington is receiving the 1.5-point start on the puck line. The Capitals are -230 to win with the handicap start. The Hurricanes are +190 to win by two points or more and cover the spread.
The total points spread is set at the standard 5.5 goals for this clash. Over is the favorite at -115, with under at -105.
We have plenty more Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes wagering options from the best NHL betting online sites below. You can also learn about betting on the NHL on our How to Bet on Hockey Online page.
| Capitals vs. Hurricanes |  |  |  |
| Hurricanes | -135 | -135 | -135 |
| Capitals | +115 | +115 | +115 |
| Hurricanes (-1.5) | +190 | +190 | +190 |
| Capitals (+1.5) | -230 | -230 | -230 |
| Over 5.5 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Under 5.5 | -105 | -105 | -105 |
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes: The story so far
The Washington Capitals secured the top seed in the Metropolitan Division by finishing top with 111 points. Spencer Carbery’s team finished the regular season with a 51-22-9 record. This included a goal differential of +56.
Washington faced the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. They clinched the series 4-1, marking their first advancement to the second round since 2018.
Alex Ovechkin led his team to a 3-2 overtime win in the opening match of the series. In Game 2, Connor McMichael was the match winner with two goals in a 3-1 victory.
The Capitals lost the third match 6-3, but it didn’t affect Carbery’s team as they bounced back with a 5-2 win in the fourth match. Brandon Duhaime scored twice in the convincing win.
Washington then sealed the series with a 4-1 win in the fifth match. Goaltender Logan Thompson was the star performer with 28 saves.
Despite starting the postseason as the top seeds, the Capitals are now the +800 fourth favorite to win the Eastern Conference. Spencer Carbery’s team is also last in the betting to win the Stanley Cup at +1100.
The Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 in the first round.
Back-to-back wins in New Jersey got Carolina off to a solid start. The Devils got themselves back in the series with a 3-2 overtime win at the Prudential Center in the third match.
The Hurricanes immediately restored their two-match lead with a convincing 5-2 win in match four.
Rod Brind’Amour’s team sealed the series with a dramatic 5-4 double-overtime win in Game 5. Sebastian Aho scored the decisive goal at 4:17.
The Carolina Hurricanes finished the regular season second in the Metropolitan Division with a 47-30-5 record. They are the +140 favorites to win the Eastern Conference and +375 favorites to win the 2025 Stanley Cup.
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes Betting Picks and Predictions
Over their last ten games, the Capitals have posted a 5-4-1 record, averaging 2.5 goals for and 3.1 goals against per game.
Carolina is 6-3-1 in their last ten matches. Rod Brind’Amour’s team has averaged 3.6 goals per game and has given up 2.9.
The Capitals had a strong 26-9-6 home record in the regular season. In the postseason, they have won four of six.
The Hurricanes were 16-21-4 on the road in the regular season. They have won five from six in the postseason.
Given the Capitals’ strong home form and with the Hurricanes not having an outstanding record on the road, we are expecting a tight and closely fought match. Therefore, our points betting pick is for under 5.5.
For our match winner pick, the same criteria also tell us that a bet on the Capitals to win on the money line is the better value wager.
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